


Sand and Salt Water

by HardStansOnly



Series: Capricious Creatures [1]
Category: GOT7, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blood Magic, Elemental Magic, Faerie!AU, Falling In Love, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, M/M, Magic, Mild Gore, Modern Magic, Morality, Multi, Oc for plot, Oral Sex, Other, Pining, Promises and Oaths, Sea witches, Selkie!Changkyun, Siren!Minhyuk, Siren!Shownu, Size Difference, Urban Magic, courting gifts, don't accept gift willynilly kids, folk lore, for all of us, get that fish dick kihyun, jooheon just wanted to be left in peace, like rly mild but still worth noting, minor Changkyun/Mark, please don't I'm broke, sue me, tags to update with story, today we learn the difference between consent and magic compulsion, trench witch sunmi, use of stage names for shownu and wonho because i'm lazy, we stan granny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-12-18 05:38:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18243455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardStansOnly/pseuds/HardStansOnly
Summary: Chap 1) Human Jooheon/Selkie ChangkyunJooheon moves with his grandmother to a little town by coast. He doesn’t mind it really except for when the internet goes out and how something seems to be watching him from the water.Chap 2) Kihyun/Siren Minhyuk&ShownuKihyun lived by the sea too far long not to believe in the stories, besides he only said he didn’t believe in mermaids to watch his lovers sulk.





	1. Abstract Horizons

**Author's Note:**

> Hey kids. In this we're playing with more faeries and morality because this is who I am as a person. So far this mixes only MX and GOT7 but that is subject to change if I expand on this universe. - S

**Pt 1: Jooheon**

The trip out to the coast village had been long and boring. Even with his notebook to write lyrics and music on full blast it was nearly a whole day on the cramped train. The station they pulled into was barely more than a little wooden shack that also served as the post office and police station. Despite being just slightly larger than his family’s apartment in the city the station felt more inviting than most places he had been too. Retrieving his luggage he had trudged into the building where his grandma was sitting with the postmaster both laughing at something. The moment his grandma saw him she all but glowed and Jooheon almost felt bad for dreading his stay.

 

The first month into his stay was the worst. The nights were an unsettling quiet made worse by his grandma being insistent that they put honey on the windowsill and fish on the dock outside the little house. The idea that they needed to keep the faeries and the sea folk happy was ridiculous but if it helped his grandma sleep at night he would make the honey himself. She had also warned him of the things that stalked the deep dark of the woods, though the Kims kept most of them fed and at bay since they were the local witches. 

He had almost written her off but it seemed like the whole village had the same beliefs and as the days ticked by he couldn’t tell if he was going insane with whatever was in their water or if he was actually seeing things because the more he looked around the more he began believing too. 

A few weeks in he had seen shadows moving around the woods but the youngest Kim - Yugyeom - who had been left in charge of the market stall assured him that the nymphs were harmless as long as he was respectful and didn’t try to grope them. Yugyeom had also advised him to carry a pack of cigarettes around with him just in case he needed to pay for something and isn’t willing to part with secrets or sex. Jooheon had been too flustered to ask what Yugyeom had meant but had begun carrying a pack of cigarettes in his backpack because in all his time Yugyeom had never been wrong about stuff. It was a little erie how the Kims seemed to be so attuned but Yugyeom had just shrugged saying that they came from a long line of hedge witches and it was up to Jooheon whether or not he was going to believe.

The more he saw things that should not be possible moving around just on the edge of reality, the more he accepted that maybe the whole town wasn’t fucking with him. What had unsettled him the most was anytime he was by the water he could swear something was watching him just out of his sight. Sometimes he would catch glimpses of dark eyes out of the corner of his eye from the water as he helped his grandma garden. He had gone to the market offering whatever payment Yugyeom wanted to know what was out there but the man just smiled slyly saying that he had given his word that he wouldn’t interfere before leaning over to kiss him long and deep as payment for his answer even though it wasn’t helpful. To be honest he didn’t mind kissing the younger, the man was beautiful and kind if ominous at times. It had been over too soon but Yugyeom kissed the tip of his nose. Jooheon had tried to ask Yugyeom out on a date but it seemed that the younger was already interested with the other new comer into town who despite constantly falling into all kinds of weird shit didn’t believe in magic. Knowing a lost cause Jooheon instead decided that he would befriend the witch.

Currently the most elusive thing in Jooheon's life was sleep. The more he accepted the weird, the more he thought of the implications, the more he couldn’t decide how scared he should be. Yugyeom and his grandma kept assuring them as long as he was kind and treated things with their due respect he would be mostly left alone. The ‘mostly’ was not particularly soothing but that just seemed to be the standard out here. Jooheon had been laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling as the clock ticked well past midnight and he couldn’t help but miss the sounds of sirens, the quiet rumble of trains, the pulse of the world around that seemed absent from this little town.

It took another two hours before he gave up the ghost. With summer finally reaching the small village, Jooheon pulled a shirt on with his basketball shorts on before slipping quietly from the house. Outside the moon sat high in the sky reflecting off the water. The walk from the soft grass to the warm sand was Jooheon's favorite. He liked how the two bled into one another while never being rocky or muddy. It would be weird of he hadn't just accepted this place was weird. Stepping onto the end of the dock he briefly wondered, like he did every time, if there was anything that would gnaw his legs off if he put them in the water. Seeing as he had not been a victim in the two months of doing this, he shrugged off every horror movie he'd ever seen to sit next to the now empty bowl that had been filled with fish, legs hanging over into the water.

“Well it looks like it's just you and me again huh.” Jooheon looked up at the moon. It was almost full, the pale light illuminating everything. “I’m still having trouble sleeping. You would think I would be used to the quiet here but I think I’m getting _less_ used to it. I keep thinking about everything Granny and Yugyeom are teaching me about the weird shit that just exists here. Or exists more easily here I guess.” Jooheon looked at his reflection in the water. His orange hair was fading and the roots were beginning to show. He would need to dye it again soon.

“You're pretty.” A voice to his left caused Jooheon to jump and go failing gracelessly into the water. Breaking the surface again he whipped his head around though it seemed whatever might have been there was gone.

“What the fuck?” Swimming the short distance to shore Jooheon looked around trying to see if anyone had been hanging around to laugh. Not seeing anyone Jooheon sat dripping into the wet sand. “I think I'm actually losing it.”

“Pretty even when sulking.” The words made him jump again. A rough belly laugh sounded from the water. “You scare easily.” Jooheon whipped his head around. In the water under the dock a set of eyes stared at him under a mop of black hair plastered to a tanned face. The man was half submerged but what Jooheon could see the stranger was beautiful in the same odd sort of way that Yugyeom was.

“I must be dreaming.” Jooheon pinched himself but grimaced when the eyes remained. “Or hallucinating. Which is weird, I'm not that sleep deprived.”

“You can't sleep?” The head tilted. The voice was low but nice to listen to. “Is that why you're always coming out here?” Jooheon blushed though he was beginning to suspect that this stranger was what had been watching him all these weeks. “Your singing is disjointed but the sirens like listening to you. They say the choppiness is like the waves during a storm.”

“What are you?” Jooheon inched closer to the water. Remembering what his grandma had said about the fish he asked, “Sea folk?”

“Of a sort.” The lips curled into a smile. The stranger tilted his head listening to something before frowning. “Looks like it's time to go.”

“Wait!” Jooheon surged up to his feet trying to get to the stranger. “What's your name?” The stranger stopped, looking caught off guard for the first time. “I’m Jooheon.”

“Changkyun.” A small smile stretched across his face. “Goodbye Jooheon.”

The water rippled slightly as Changkyun slipped back beneath the surface but did not come back up for air. Jooheon was alone again.

***

“Morning Granny.” Jooheon hadn’t bothered going to sleep so instead he had stayed up and when the sun began to rise he started to make breakfast for them.

“Couldn’t sleep again?” She patted his shoulder. “The Kims make a good sleeping tea. I’ll pick you up some when I go to the market.” Jooheon plated the food to carry it to the old wood table where his grandma waitied. “You smell like the water. Down at the dock again?”

“Yes ma’am.” Jooheon ducked his head low. Even with how hard she slept it seemed like his grandma was all knowing. “I met someone last night. I think it’s whose been watching me from the water.” His grandma’s eyes narrowed. “We only talked for a few minutes but...he, um, he said that the sirens like my rapping?”

“Did he give you anything?” Granny’s voice was strained and Jooheon didn’t like that. Jooheon shook his head no. “Good. Please continue.”

“Um…” Jooheon pushed the food around on his plate. “He said his name was Changkyun but he didn’t come out of the water.” 

“Of course it was him.” Jooheon frowned but the smile that spread across her face made the fear in his chest dissipate a bit. “He’s mostly harmless. Kyunnie has been around here for years. Usually he's just is curious and likes to play pranks on people.”

“You know him?” Jooheon leaned closer. “Is he one of the sea folk?” The smile his grandma gave him was equal parts proud and amused. “What?”

“I thought sea folk was for senile old ladies?” Granny sipped smugly at her coffee and Jooheon hung his head. “I guess that means you’re a senile old lady too.” They laughed together. Standing up Granny poured the last of the coffee in their cups with an off expression. “Kyunnie is of the sea but he asked that I keep my silence. Promises are important out here.”

“Oh come on.” Jooheon thumped his head against the table a few times. “Yugyeom told me the same thing.” A thought flashed in his head. “I don’t have to kiss you for that answer do I?” Granny let out a deep laugh. “Oh thank goodness.”

“He’ll come to you in his own time.” Granny pet his hair. “Your hair is getting ridiculous Honey. Would you like to get it fixed up?” Jooheon grumbled a small ‘yes please’ and Granny chuckled again. “I’ll call Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon ended up being much different than Jooheon had expected. Despite the bland looks the older gave Hyungwon had a wicked sense of humor and they spent the whole time Hyungwon worked on his hair laughing while Granny did busy work at the table. Hyungwon had been born, raised, and planned to die in the little town. He had gone to school in the city to get his proper certifications but Hyungwon said just as the silence unnerved Jooheon the noise of the city left him on edge.

“Do you miss the city a lot?” Hyungwon asked checking the dye. In the mirror Jooheon saw the critical gaze turn curious when it fell on his face. “Will you be going back?”

“I don’t think so.” Jooheon had already talked with Granny. He was welcome to stay here as long as he pleased, provided he kept up his chores and got a job. Already he had talked with Mark and JB in town where he could start bussing tables on nights that Jinyoung wasn’t working. “Granny can still get around good right now but she’s gonna need someone to help her out soon. MIght as well be me since my parents don’t want to move back out here and she doesn’t want to move to the city.” Hyungwon hummed. “Besides I’m starting to like it out here. It’s peaceful.”

“It is.” Hyungwon guided him over to the sink to wash his hair out. “Wonho was afraid you were going to-”

“Hush you.” Granny snipped. “You know better.” Hyungwon grunted. “Speaking of Wonho how is he?” Granny leveled a firm glared then returned to bundling up the herbs Yugyeom’s mom had dropped off that morning. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s been at the beach a lot.” Hyungwon said sadly. “It’s that time of year.” Granny nodded solemnly. “Close your eyes.” Jooheon did as asked letting the older wash the dye out then condition before rising again. 

“He doesn’t blame you.” Granny spoke finally breaking the heavy silence. “It wasn’t your fault.” Hyungwon blinked back a few tears and all Jooheon could think to do was pull the man into a hug. “The fire wasn’t your fault.”

“What fire?” Jooheon asked tightening his arms. “What happened?”

“Another day.” Hyungwon pulled out of his arms, trying to give a reassuring smile. “It’s not really my story to tell but Wonho can’t talk about it right now.”

Hyungwon finished up his hair before packing up. Jooheon dug around his pockets for his wallet but to his surprise he didn’t seem to have any cash on him.

“Um. Wow this is embarrassing but I don’t have any cash on me. Can I bring it to later? I promise I’m good for it.” Jooheon’s heart was beating fast. “I swear.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Hyungwon smiled patting his arm. “I’ll stop by the restaurant while you’re working tomorrow so you don’t have to make the extra trip.” Hyungwon shot a quick look to Granny before whispering, “Go to the dock tonight. Just trust me.” With a wink the older dropped a kiss on Granny’s cheek, then was gone.

“He thinks he’s slick.” Granny rolled her eyes. “Don’t take gifts from any one.” She warned holding him under her gaze. “Unless you can feel you can trust them, and you shouldn’t yet, they haven’t earned it. Don’t take gifts.”

“Yes ma’am.” Jooheon nodded. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

 

Jooheon took the bowl of fish out for the sea folk that night instead of Granny. Placing it carefully on the edge of the dock, he noticed a fur jacket sitting on a pole. Looking around he didn’t see anyone, though the jacket was so nice it was unlikely that it was left intentionally. Running his fingers over the soft fur he nearly picked it up before Granny’s warning came to life. Stepping back he looked around again almost walking into a very naked stranger.

“You didn’t take it.” Jooheon blinked. It was Changkyun and the man seemed confused. “Why didn’t you take it? It’s a very nice jacket, don’t you think?” Something tugged at his brain.

“Why would I take it? It’s not mine.” Jooheon blushed under the heavy gaze. “Why are you naked?” Changkyun’s confused look turned sly.

“You can look.” Changkyun took a step back spreading his arms unashamed. “I’ve gotten a few good looks at you before you caught on to me watching. It’s only fair that you get a good one.”

“So it was you!” Jooheon grinned then of their own accord his eyes dropped. “Oh…” Face flaring red he took in what was being offered. Changkyun was lanky muscles and tanned skin for days spotted here and there with small moles. “Um…”

“Like what you see?” Changkyun smirked wider. “You did summon me here.”

“You’re full of shit.” Jooheon squeaked shaking his head. “Both Granny and Yugyeom know about you. And Hyungwon told me to come out tonight. Summoned my ass, you were already here.”

“Smart even though you dump all that stuff in your hair.” Changkyun laughed moving closer again, cold hands cupping his face. “I’ve been around yes but you summoned me to you when you cried into the water.” Jooheon frowned. He vaguely remembered the time he sat on the dock crying because he was so homesick and lonely. “So you wanna get married?”

“Do I what?” Jooheon jolted but when he stepped back to put distance between them his foot caught the fish bowl sending him falling into the water. Again. Breaking the surface he scowled at Changkyun who was bent over howling in laughter. “You’re an asshole.” Jooheon grunted swimming towards the shore. On the soft sand Changkyun met him with the jacket in hand. 

“Here put this on. You’ll get cold.” Changkyun looked just a bit frightened and Jooheon silently swore at Yugyeom and Granny for not preparing him for any of this. “It’s a gift.”

“No thank you.” Jooheon peeled off his shirt to ring it out. “I’ll ruin it with water.”

“Do you not want me?” Changkyun’s smile fell. “I promise I’ll be a good husband.” Jooheon frowned at that. “If I leave now I won’t be able to come back for seven years.”

“And if I take it?” Jooheon glanced at the coat again. “What happens?”

“I’ll be your husband and...I...well we can’t have babies but I’ve seen kids without parents so we can take one of them.” Changkyun pressed the skin to Jooheon’s chest. “I’ll be good.”

“And you’ll live in the ocean?” Jooheon kept his hands firmly at his sides. “What’s up with the coat?”

“It’s my skin.” Changkyun looked at it sadly. “I’m a selkie. Seal Folk.” Jooheon tilted his head. “You take it, hide it, and I’m bound to you.”

“Why would I hide it?” Jooheon really didn’t want to take it now. “It’s yours. Don’t you need it?”

“Aren’t you scared I’ll run off?” Changkyun kept the coat pressed to his chest. “If I have it I can return to the sea.”

“But it’s your _home_. You’re family is there.” Jooheon stepped back but Changkyun followed, keeping the skin pressed between them. “Why would anyone force you to stay.”

“That’s the rules.” Changkyun looked a little agitated but at least they were both confused now. “Those are the rules. You summon me, claim my skin, and I’m bound to you.”

“Do you want to be?” Jooheon suddenly felt ill. Changkyun wasn’t here because he wanted to be. The selkie was here because of some dumb ritual or whatever. “You don’t want this.”

“Those are the rules.” Changkyun’s head dropped and buried into the skin. “Why are you making this difficult?”

“I won’t trap you on land.” Jooheon stepped back again. “I won’t bind you to me just because some dumb made up rule says we have to. I release you or whatever.” Changkyun’s head shot up and to Jooheon’s dismay he was crying. “Please don’t cry.”

“Why did you summon me then?” Changkyun looked lost. “Why woul-”

“I didn’t summon you on purpose.” Jooheon knew it wouldn’t make him feel any better and he was right. It made Changkyun cry again. “I was sad and homesick and needed someplace to cry and the dock was quiet.” Jooheon hung his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“I don’t wanna go back though.” Changkyun’s shoulders dropped. “Wonho looks so happy and the sirens have a human. I want to be happy too.” That hit like a punch to Jooheon’s heart.

“How about…” He licked his lips. “What if I take it and you can find someone here to make you happy?” Changkyun blinked unbelievingly. “I could give them the coat or whatever when you find someone who you want to be with.” Jooheon held out his hand knowing Granny would kick his ass in the morning. “If you don’t find anyone I’ll give it back and you can go home. I won’t hold you hostage and I won’t let anyone else do it either but I want you to be happy. Deal?” 

“What if I want to be with you?” Changkyun clutched at the skin, emotions in obvious conflict. “What if in the end I just want you?”

“Then I’ll take you out and we can start there.” Jooheon shrugged. “If we click then we can talk about marriage.” 

“Okay.” Extending his own hand Changkyun held out the skin letting Jooheon take it. 

The moment Jooheon accepted the skin he felt a weird sort of wave wash over him. A tingle under the skin then a sort of cold settle about him. He almost remarked on it when Changkyun moved into his personal space again only this time he didn’t stop short in front of him, this time the selkie pressed against him nuzzling into his neck.

“Hey now.” Jooheon nearly fell over. “We just talked about this.”

“Yes but you’re warm.” Changkyun looped his arms around him. “Go hide the skin and I’ll be waiting.”

“I’m not hiding it.” Jooheon said firmly. “I’ll put it in the front closet with the rest of the coats. You’re not my hostage remember.” Changkyun grumbled but didn’t argue.

Leading Changkyun to the house, he was unsurprised to find Granny sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee despite it being so late. Folded neatly on the edge of the table sat a shirt and sweatpants. Jooheon realized she had known he would be unable to turn the selkie down but instead of being angry she had accepted it as easily as she accepted him into her home.

“Hi Granny.” Changkyun sounded sheepish. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m still upset you’ve latched to my grandson.” Granny scowled before a releasing a small resigned sighed. “I know it was beyond your control but you understand my worry.”

“I’m not marrying him.” Jooheon huffed. He had hoped he could get some sleep before having to address the situation. Naturally what he had wanted was the opposite of how things were going.

“Yes you are.” Granny frowned deeply like he said that kicked babies. “You accepted the skin. Those are the rules.”

“If one more person says that I’m drowning myself.” Jooheon sulked out to put the coat in the front closet. When he returned Changkyun had dressed, sitting at the table looking a little lost.

“Did you hide it?” Granny asked and Jooheon dragged his hands down his face. “You didn’t really put it in the front closet did you?” She looked incredulous.

“Okay. Hold up I need coffee.” Jooheon went to the pot. Coffee in hand, he returned to the table where Changkyun tried to crawl onto his lap. “No.” Jooheon scowled making the selkie sulk in his seat. “Changkyun said he was drawn because I cried into the water and The Rules,” Jooheon air quoted with scowl, “means he’s bound or property or whatever. I told him no, but he doesn’t want to go back so I’m going to hold his skin while he goes and finds someone he actually wants to be with. If he doesn’t find anyone he wants to be with he’s welcome to take his skin and go home.” Granny frowned deeper obviously wanting to say something. “And I don’t care if it’s against the rules I’m not holding him hostage because of some arbitrary magic nonsense. I’ll follow just about any weird thing you and Yugyeom tell me, but I won’t do this. I won’t.” Jooheon felt raw. He had thought at first that maybe Changkyun had actually liked him considering how long he watched from the water but no. The selkie was here because he had no choice and it made Jooheon feel dirty.

“If I don’t want anyone else then we’ll get married.” Changkyun smiled dreamily at Granny. “He said so.”

“You're not using that as an excuse to hide yourself away.” Jooheon sniped back. “You want to be happy, which means you have to go out meet people.”

“That’s silly.” Changkyun huffed. “You’re right here. It’s easier.” Jooheon looked pleadingly at Granny. She watched them for a long time before shaking her head sadly.

“Let’s go to bed, boys.” Granny stood taking the coffee cups. “I’d tell you to sleep on the couch but we both know you’ll sneak into Jooheon’s room anyway so I’m not wasting my time.” Jooheon groaned dropping his head to the table.

Jooheon’s bed wasn’t really made for two people, though it didn’t seem to bother Changkyun who curled around him humming happily. Unable to take anymore nonsense he resigned himself and slung an arm around Changkyun, much to the selkie’s delight, and let himself drift off. He would deal with this mess in the morning. 

Jooheon woke up to Changkyun crying quietly into his chest but when he tried to move to comfort him the selkie apologized before launching from the bed. Not willing to get up and face the day just yet, he laid in bed staring at the ceiling contemplating the best places to take Changkyun to meet people. Maybe Yugyeom would help if the younger wasn’t in one of his moods that usually ended in Jooheon flushed red and feeling like an ass.

“Here.” Changkyun’s voice was quiet. Extended between them was a plate of fruit and a slice of bread hastily thrown together. Jooheon was pretty sure he heard Granny laughing down in the kitchen and he wondered if it was okay to fight an old lady even if she would whoop his ass in the end. “Sorry it’s not better. I’ll get better!” Jooheon looked at Changkyun who looked very nervous. “Do you want something else? I can’t cook yet but maybe Granny can show me? Please don’t be mad.”

“Changkyun.” Jooheon took the plate and set it on the nightstand. A dark look passed over the selkie’s face. “Thank you, but you don’t have to serve me. I don’t expect that from you.”

“But I need to be a good husband or you won’t want me.” Changkyun shuffled foot to foot anxiously. “I can try to um…” Jooheon saw him play with the hem of his shirt and suddenly understood. Despite the confidence from last night, Changkyun was a lot more shy now.

“No.” Grabbing the hand before it could lift the material. “I don’t expect anything from you, least of all sex.” Changkyun wilted.

“Even witches take sex as payment.” Changkyun looked at their held hands. “You technically did me a favor. So I owe you payment and you already know my biggest secret.” Jooheon contemplated hitting his head against the wall, but it was unlikely it would help. “How do I make you want me?”

“Come here.” Jooheon patted the bed next to him but Changkyun crawled onto his lap. “Not what I meant, but okay.” Changkyun’s fingers traveled the planes of his face in exploration as dark eyes held his. “Why me? I’ve offered you freedom and you look broken up about it.” Refusing to do anything Jooheon kept his hands firmly on the bed. “I want you to go meet people and see if there is anyone out there who you want to be with.”

“That’s not…” Changkyun sighed in defeat, hands dropping. Several emotions trailed across the selkie's face but none of them were happy. “Can I have one kiss?” Jooheon blinked in surprise. “I want my first kiss here to be you.” Jooheon opened his mouth only to close it. “I’ll do it, I’ll do the whole seeing other people thing if you’ll be my first kiss.” Jooheon rested his head against the oddly cool chest a moment, not missing the skip of the selkie’s breath. He was really done with magic.

“Okay.” Jooheon barely lifted his head before Changkyun held his face and smiled for the first time. The selkie’s lips were cool to the touch like the rest of him but where Jooheon had assumed Changkyun was going to attack him the kiss was soft, almost shy. Sliding his fingers into the hair that Jooheon realized belatedly had turned gray overnight he brushed their lips together trying to ignore how Changkyun shifted closer making little noises in the back of his throat. “Changkyun.” Jooheon managed breathlessly but the selkie pulled him back, suddenly confident. The tongue that slid into his mouth caught him off guard but Changkyun held onto him tighter. It was obvious the selkie had no idea what he was doing but let Jooheon - who was admittedly touch starved as of late - lead the kiss right up until their hips rolled together. “Okay, okay.” Jooheon pulled back breathless.

“One more.” Changkyun begged just as breathless. “Just one more.” The selkie moved, catching Jooheon by surprise and drawing him into another kiss. “One more.” Jooheon was desperately trying to keep his hands off the selkie but the magic that had settled into his body pulled at him to touch. To claim. The feeling of wanting to mark the selkie as his was nearly overwhelming as Changkyun rolled his hips down, small noises still falling from him. “I want to be your husband.” Jooheon shook his head no but Changkyun didn’t seem to care. “I want to be your husband, Jooheon.” And if there was anything Jooheon believed in, it was that the selkie was sincere but not for the right reasons. The Rules were what was drawing Changkyun to him and Jooheon wouldn’t take advantage of him like that.

“You promised.” Jooheon placed a hand on Changkyun’s chest pushing him back a bit, both breathing heavily. “You promised you would first.”

“You don’t understand.” Changkyun actually whined trying to press closer. “It hurts when you tell me no.” Jooheon did. He understood too well the lancing pain when he pulled away.

“I’m not going to take advantage of you.” Jooheon tried to move but Changkyun curled around him tighter. “Please understand that.” Changkyun buried his face into his neck.

“I offer my love willingly.” Changkyun tried but Jooheon gritted his teeth. Rubbing his his hands up and down Changkyun’s back he tried to think of a way he could make the selkie understand. The feeling of _mine_ that kept trying to creep into his brain as he touched unsettled Jooheon.

“No you don’t.” Jooheon wanted to punch whatever idiot made the rules that bound this man. “The Rules say you have to be bound to me. It could have been anyone and you would have been bound to them. Would you feel the same if it was Granny? Or Hyungwon?” Changkyun was distressingly silent. “Exactly.”

“I want to be your husband.” Changkyun said miserably.

“Shh.” Jooheon pulled him tighter against his body. “We'll figure something out.”

 

It took nearly an hour before he could persuade Changkyun off his lap. The more Jooheon had tried to make the selkie move the harder he clung so Jooheon resigned himself to numb legs and an aching heart. When they had finally made it down the stairs, Jooheon made sure to show his gratitude by eating the plate that Changkyun had made for him while talking with Granny over coffee. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the selkie’s smile widen with each bite though it only served to make his stomach twist into tighter knots.

“Is the market open today Granny?” Jooheon drank the last of his coffee. “I’d like to take Changkyun around a bit before I go to work.”

“They close early today but yes.” Granny stirred her coffee looking sadly between the two of them. “You’re making this harder than it already is Honey.” Jooheon set his coffee cup down harshly but immediately regretted it.

“Sorry.” Staring at his distorted reflection in the porcelain he sighed again. Jooheon really needed Granny on his side in this. “Changkyun.”

“Yes?” The selkie jumped up eager to please and Jooheon felt sick all over again.

“You should go take a shower.” Jooheon tried to smile. The black eyes stay trained on him but Jooheon stayed firmly in his seat. Briefly he wondered if Changkyun would be able to use the stuff in their shower since his hair was denser than his or even Granny’s. “Towels are in the door next to the bathroom.”

“You’re not joining me?” Changkyun slumped, grey hair falling into his eyes. Shuffling away with a pout he mumbled a quiet, “Okay.”

Jooheon waited for him to walk back up the stairs, ignoring the urge to follow the selkie up. The magic under his skin flared almost painfully before settling. Once the water started to run he turned back to Granny.

“I won’t do this. I refuse to.” Granny opened her mouth but Jooheon continued. “He doesn’t really want me. It would be like...like…” Jooheon searched for the words. “It feels like taking advantage of a drunk person or worse. I won’t take advantage of him and if it makes him hate me that’s fine too.”

“Oh Honey.” Granny stood from her chair and pulled him to her chest. “My sweet boy.” Jooheon couldn’t stop the tears that he’d been keeping back since last night. It wasn’t fair to either him or Changkyun. “You’re very kind to want his happiness.”

“I hate this.” Jooheon clung to her hiccuping a sob, “It makes me feel sick that I did this to him. I didn’t mean to.” Then smally, “I promise I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay Honey.” Granny pet his hair trying to sooth him. “It’s going to be okay.” Jooheon hugged her, feeling miserable and trying not to think about anything which only worked until a face buried itself in his neck. “Hi Kyunnie.”

“Why are you crying?” Changkyun pulled at him until Granny let go and Jooheon found himself in the arms and under the intense focus of a very concerned selkie. “Did I do something wrong?” Jooheon shook his head no trying to collect himself. Changkyun already had enough to deal with, he didn’t need Jooheon falling apart on him too. “What’s hurt?” Cool hands ghosted over his skin. “Granny is he hurt?” Changkyun looked at her helplessly. “I can’t find any blood or cuts.”

“I’m okay.” Jooheon took a deep breath. “Thank you for worrying about me. I appreciate it.” Changkyun still looked distressed but nodded. “I’m going to take a shower. Will you help Granny clean up the kitchen?”

“Yes!” The perked the selkie up and Jooheon smiled. “Granny can sit and I’ll clean. I’ll show you how good I can be at that.” It was another sucker punch to the heart. Cooking. Cleaning. Both were ‘good husband’ qualifications. “Go! Go!” Changkyun punctuated each with a quick kiss before pushing him towards the stairs. 

 

***

_Pt 2: Changkyun_

True to his word Changkyun ushered Granny to sit at the table while he picked up and began to clean the kitchen, not that there was much to clean aside from the breakfast plates. Once he was sure that Jooheon was actually in the shower he turned to Granny who was looking at him with a sad expression. Dropping his eyes to the towel in his hand he contemplated on whether or not he should talk about this with her. Deciding it was too late anyway he looked back up. 

“Why doesn't he want me Granny?” Changkyun felt sick. The constant rejection from Jooheon made the magic in his skin burn painfully. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No Kyunnie.” Granny pet his hair. It wasn’t the same as when Jooheon had done it but Changkyun accepted the comfort all the same. “Honey wants to see you happy.”

“But I can be happy with him.” Changkyun dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. “If he just gives me a chance. I can be a good husband.”

“You know as well as I do this feeling is going to fade.” Granny murmured and a small ugly thing in his heart wanted to lash out. Jooheon was his human now. Those were the rules. She should know better than this. “This feeling of need is going to fade and then the call of the ocean is going to take over and you will hate him if he binds you down.” Changkyun breathed deeply fighting anger because she was right. Deep down, past the thrall of the binding spell Changkyun knew she was right.

This wasn’t the first time he'd been bound.

Many years ago when he was very young he had been trapped by a human. He had spent fifteen long years on land begging for his skin to go back to the sea. The woman who had bound him hadn’t wanted a husband only a friend to stay with her. They didn’t even kiss in all his time on land but he remembered that the longer he stayed on land the less intense the feeling became until he no longer wanted to be with her. She had of course not minded the lack of love though the idea of him leaving made her equal parts sad and irritable so it had taken the better part of those fifteen years to find his skin.

“You ready Kyunnie?” Jooheon’s voice made his heart kick in his chest. In the doorway Jooheon stood in a pair on black pants that hugged him like the siren’s scales clung to their bodies and a black shirt that made the unnatural orange of his hair stand out more. “Why are you looking at me like that?” The urge to run to the human and curl around him was strong. “Are you okay” His human was distressingly pretty. How he had not acquired a mate yet seemed ridiculous.

“Hm?” Changkyun blinked pretending not to have heard him. In the corner of his eye Changkyun saw Granny shoot them an exasperated look before going out to the porch. “Sorry, yeah.” Jooheon smiled, making his heart flip. The tug became unbearable so Changkyun crossed the room, wrapped his arms around Jooheon’s neck and kissed him with the same desperate fervor as that morning. The feeling of Jooheon’s hands on his waist sent a small thrill through him until they slid up to press against his chest forcing their bodies apart. “One more.” Changkyun gave his best pout. “Please.”

“You’re a menace.” Jooheon sighed but didn’t stop him when Changkyun pressed close again, fingers burying into the orange hair. Changkyun felt Jooheon stumble back a bit but he simply pressed his human against the wall to continue to the kiss. “-kyun.” Jooheon breathed out but he was afraid if he let the human get a word in edgewise Jooheon would call a stop. Changkyun knew the moment the magic was working again when the hands that had been trying to put distance slid back down to his waist to pull them flush together. Finally Jooheon was going to follow the rules and - “We need to stop.” The human ducked his head breathing heavily against his neck. “I need to stop.” The spike of pain at the refusal made him dizzy.

“One more.” Changkyun tried again but Jooheon shook his head no. “Please.” Another no. “One more and I promise not to get out of control.” Jooheon sighed heavily. “Please Honey.” Dark eyes shot up. Changkyun could taste the want that lingered there under the surface but Jooheon was too damn stubborn to give in.

“Last one.” Jooheon conceded finally. Before he could change his mind Changkyun kissed him, the magic under their skins settling back down. Unable to break his promise if he wanted, Changkyun cradled Jooheon’s jaw to kiss him slow and soft like they had when Jooheon had first woken up. Amidst the brush of lips Jooheon responded to the tug of magic between them. Warm hands sliding up under his shirt to grip at his skin. 

“ _Honey_.” Changkyun broke the kiss to bury his face into Jooheon’s neck. He wanted more, so much more, but his promise was binding.

“We should go.” Jooheon tried to move, but Changkyun pressed against him closer. “We can still make the market for a bit before I have to go to work.”

“Please don’t make me see other people.” Changkyun begged. The magic didn’t hurt when they were like this, when Jooheon let him be close. “I just want to be yours.” He just wanted to belong to his human.

In the end, Jooheon didn’t cave like he had done with requests for kisses. In the face of Changkyun begging to be his, Jooheon became more resolute in his insistence that Changkyun go and meet people. Jooheon wouldn’t make him date anyone, but he did say that Changkyun should go to the market everyday and talk to people.

*

A month later, he was grateful for Jooheon’s insistence that they not bind themselves together. Changkyun had made friends with almost everyone he had met with a few exceptions There had only been one incident where someone had made him uncomfortable with their advances but Jooheon had stormed out of the restaurant before the Kims could even move around their stall to help. Seeing Jooheon nearly fight for him made Changkyun’s heart do funny things. Funny things that _should not_ still be happening now that the binding spell had worn off. 

The longer he stayed on land the more the magic dissipated until it had dissolved all together and Changkyun could understand why Jooheon refused him. When he had been caught up in the spell he couldn’t see past the painful need to belong to _his human_. All his thoughts had been on pleasing Jooheon even if it meant pouting when Jooheon had said the only thing that would please him was Changkyun finding happiness. He hadn't been grateful for the boundaries then, but he was now. Now the more time he spent with Jooheon with a magic free head, the more things that he actually appreciated about his human than just his general existence. 

Like how Jooheon reminded him on days that the call of the sea made him sick that his skin was in the front closet, making sure he never felt trapped within the confines of the house. Jooheon always stressed that Changkyun’s happiness was the most important thing and if going back to the sea would make him happy, Jooheon would let him go no questions asked. The problem to that was Changkyun didn’t want to leave. He liked the town and Granny and the odd things that humans did. He liked starting and ending his days curled up to Jooheon in bed making jokes or kissing lazily when he could pout his way into them. On very bad days, he would take Jooheon down to the shore and they would sit on the dock, legs dangling in the water. He would press against his human and tell him of the deep dark places of the world. Jooheon had even gotten to meet Shownu and Minhyuk when the sirens had come back for the summer to be with their human Kihyun. It had made Jooheon laugh when they had told him Kihyun caught them in a net by accident and only his pretty voice saved him from being eaten. 

Then there was how Jooheon hadn’t kicked him out of their bed even after Changkyun had actually attempted to date someone. At first, Jooheon had balked because sleeping in his bed while dating another wasn't fair to that person but when Granny explained seals were social creatures who actually could not function alone, he relented. The relationship didn’t last long but Changkyun didn’t mourn the loss of it. Nor did he mourn the loss of the other two relationships that followed. All them were nice but they could not handle his ‘oddness’ as they called it. 

Jooheon never minded his oddness. Maybe that's why after everything he still thought of Jooheon as His Human and not The Human. 

Changkyun had begun to suspect that maybe he was in love with his human, the problem of course being his human didn’t seem to love him back. The more he tried to court Jooheon the more Jooheon pushed him to be with others. Changkyun knew Jooheon could feel the absence of the magic as keenly as he could when they touched, so he couldn’t understand why Jooheon still refused. Especially since Jooheon didn’t seem to date. His human was so insistent that Changkyun go out to find happiness and yet Jooheon himself was content to be alone or help Granny or even subject himself to Yugyeom’s endless teasing. Changkyun often wondered if him being in the man’s bed was the reason for the lack of romantic partner. He had tried to ask once but Jooheon just laughed before ruffling his hair, a small unreadable look in his dark eyes. The non-answer didn’t sit well. Yugyeom had been infuriatingly unhelpful at every turn on the subject of wooing humans to the point that Changkyun avoided the witch when he sported a grin.

Sitting in Jooheon’s diner he had his chin propped on his hand watching the rain outside. Jooheon was supposed to get off soon, but Jinyoung had called apologizing profusely that he couldn’t come in so his human was stuck working a double. Jaebum had given him an extra meal but Jooheon waved it off telling him to give it to Changkyun since he had eaten earlier. Changkyun tried to pay but both had refused his money so now he was waiting for it to finish cooking before his daily rounds at the market. He had been really looking forward to spending time with Jooheon.

“Oh my you’re a pretty one.” The voice made him jump up, nearly sending him off his chair. He almost laughed at the memory of him saying the same thing and Jooheon falling off the dock. The man leaning against his table smiled at him with an easy grin and intense but kind eyes under a mop of blood red hair. Changkyun wanted to touch bright strands, he was always fascinated by humans and their need for weird colors in their hair and on their skin. “In all the time you’ve been here I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m Mark.” Mark held out a hand between them.

“Changkyun.” Used to the custom now, he easily accepted the gesture and returned it. “You’re one of Jaebum and Jooheon’s friends.” Mark smiled at him a little pained. Changkyun vaguely recalled Jooheon saying that Mark was hopelessly in love with Jaebum who had somehow kept missing the American’s advances.

“I’m also his boss.” Mark winked good naturedly at Jooheon who stopped to watch them in the doorway. His human was too far away to properly read his expression but Changkyun would have sworn it was resignation. Maybe a little sadness. “Can I buy you lunch?” Changkyun snapped his eyes back to the man in front of him floundering for a moment. Mark was beautiful in the way Minhyuk and Shownu were, all sharped face and pointed teeth. “Well. Actually let me be clear. I would like to take you on a date.”

“Why?” Changkyun was always curious about what drew people to him. Usually it was because he was pretty or charming. Jooheon didn’t see him as _just_ pretty and charming and Changkyun had started to want people who saw him as something more than that. People who looked at him the way Jooheon did but would actually touch him. Someone who would actually be with him without making excuses or put up walls.

“Because both of us are stuck pining for idiots who don’t realize what’s in front of them and we deserve to be happy with or without them.” Mark shrugged. For how close Jaebum hovered to Mark it had stuck Changkyun as odd that they weren’t married or at least lovers. It seemed the American knew his plight better than Changkyun had originally given him credit for.

“I appreciate the honesty but I’m not pining.” Changkyun huffed though the words felt like needles on his tongue. Only true fae were bound to the no lying rule but even as a lesser fae it hurt. It hurt but not nearly as much as the growing dread that he would have to accept Jooheon didn’t want him. Just as surely Mark was grappling with his own pain.

“That’s cute.” Mark chuckled again, smile still curled at the edges of his lips. “But you didn’t answer my question. Can I take you on a date?” Changkyun thought about it for a minute. Mark was beautiful and single and trying to move past someone who wouldn’t pay attention to him. He was beautiful and single and trying to accept that his human would never be his.

Changkyun almost hated Mark for using him as a rebound and did hate himself for using Mark for the same reason. Maybe they could make it work.

“Sure.” Changkyun smiled. “Have a seat. I have food on the way anyway.”

*

Changkyun found that he rather liked Mark and he liked him even more when the American took him to bed. Since coming to the land this time Changkyun hadn’t been able to seduce a single person to sleep with him. Not Jooheon, not the people he met in town, not even the three people he had tried to date. Jooheon for the endless list of reasons he spilled if given the slightest opportunity and the others because he was too cold or too odd or too obviously in love with Jooheon. Mark seemed to roll with is oddness with the same ease as Jooheon, even politely ignoring how the orange haired man took up most of his thoughts. Mark took all his quirks in stride as if it were normal to talk about deep sea currents and the difference between the merfolk and sirens.

Slowly, very slowly, Changkyun noticed that he was pulling away from Jooheon. It had confused Shownu and Minhyuk when he had gone down to the dock and started talk more of Mark than Jooheon though aside from small frowns neither siren had asked. Hyungwon had disapproved severely but at Wonho’s instistance kept his opinions to himself. Slowly though his friends had started to come around which made Changkyun happy. The only person he had not talked to about it was Yugyeom who he knew wouldn’t give him a straight answer anyway so Changkyun didn’t bother. If the witch had something to say he would whether or not Changkyun asked him. 

As the days, and nights, ticked past he could almost see himself happy with Mark.

“I want my skin.” Changkyun approached Jooheon two months after dating Mark. They had been talking about maybe moving in together and Changkyun felt it was time that the American knew what he was getting himself into.

“It’s in the front closet?” Jooheon frowned up from the cutting board in confusion. Granny had taken a begrudging trip to the city to visit Jooheon's parents, leaving them to their own devices. With him spending more and more time with Mark, Changkyun hadn't thought about how lonely his human must be. Changkyun paused at that thought. Mark was going to be his human now but the idea of anyone other than Jooheon being called that felt deeply wrong. “I haven’t touched it since the first night.” 

“I checked, it’s not in there.” Changkyun felt the pinprick of panic. Suddenly the house felt too small and the waves outside were getting louder. “Please just tell me where it is.”

“Changkyun.” Jooheon dropped the knife to cross the room, warm hands cupping his face to stare into his eyes. “I swear on my life, on Granny’s life, that I have not taken your skin.” Changkyun felt the magic of the oath swirl around them and settle. His human was telling the truth and Changkyun felt guilty for not believing him. Jooheon never lied even when it would have made things easier. Letting out a stuttered sigh he buried his face into Jooheon’s neck trying to calm his heart. “Now. We’ll check the closet again and then if it’s not there we’ll go room by room until we find it okay?”.

“Yeah.” Changkyun wanted to kiss him, but after he told the man he was dating Mark Jooheon again put distance between them. Warm hands rubbing up and down his back made him realize it had been weeks since his human had touched him. “Thank you.”

“Any time.” Changkyun watched as Jooheon went to the closet, pulling out the jackets one by one until it was empty. A dark look flitted over the features under the orange hair. “Alright it’s not here. Let me put these away and we’ll start looking.”

Changkyun didn’t want to panic but with each failed room he couldn’t help himself. The only thing that kept him from screaming was the weight of Jooheon’s oath against his skin that he had not touched it. Jooheon would never do this to him. He would never trap him on land or in the house.

Would he?

Suddenly the rush of the sea was screaming for him.

“Cha-”

“ _WHERE IS IT_?” Changkyun shrieked falling to his knees feeling violently ill. The pounding in his head beat like a giant drum until suddenly it stopped.

Draped over his shoulders was his skin.

“Granny must have moved it into her closet when my aunt visited last week.” Jooheon crouched in front of him. “I promise I didn’t know. I would never do that. I promise.” Changkyun finally managed to look up. Jooheon looked crushed, eyes pleading for Changkyun to believe him. “I would never claim you like that. I promise.” The words broke his heart. Jooheon didn’t want him and it shouldn’t matter but it was the worst realization to have ever hit him. 

“I need to leave.” Changkyun clutched his skin and bolted to the door. Maybe he cried when Jooheon didn’t stop him. Maybe he cried all the way into Mark's arms.

*

Mark had known something was wrong when he had walked in and by the time Changkyun babbled out his long explanation the American sat staring at him pensively. Originally Mark had tried to keep him wrapped him in his arms but Changkyun had refused, making them sit with the table between them. Changkyun told him about the summoning, how Jooheon always put his happiness first, about how even after the magic wore off he still only wanted his human but his human didn’t want him back.

“Well I guess I really can’t compete with Jooheon.” Mark looked sad but in a way they made Changkyun realize that the American knew this would happen. Changkyun tried to speak but Mark held up a hand. “I’m not upset. I don’t even think you know how much you’re in love with him.”

“I’m sorry.” Changkyun felt defensive and maybe a little hurt. Everyone always acted like they knew his emotions better than he did. “I like you. I want to be with you.” Mark arched an eyebrow. “Why are you hung up on that part? I just told you I was a selkie.”

“Oh no I gathered that a long time ago.” Mark snorted. “Wonho is one and I've known him for years.” Changkyun wanted to kick himself in the ass. It made sense why Mark was as laid back as he was. “Listen.” Mark leaned forward to take his hand. “Neither of us really want anyone else.” Jooheon and Jaebum felt like ghosts constantly between them. It was something they had talked about candidly on several occasions. “I'm sorry.”

“Me too.” Changkyun looked at their hands. “How are we as dumb as them?”

“Like attracts like I guess.” Mark kissed his knuckles. “You should go home. Talk to him. One of us should get a happy ending.”

“And you talk to Jb or I will.” Changkyun stood, pulling Mark into a hug. He really was sad that he couldn’t make it work with the American. Mark was a good man and he deserved to be happy. “We both deserve happy endings and I promise he wants you.” Changkyun knew jealousy when he saw it and maybe he had flaunted Mark once or twice because Jaebum had a good heart but was a bit late catching on to things.

Returning home was long but the feeling of his skin hanging on his shoulders was grounding. The house was silent when he entered so Changkyun simply hung his skin back in the front closet before trudging silently up the stairs.

“ _-kyun_.” The moan stopped him dead in his tracks. Standing just outside the door to their bedroom he could hear Jooheon moaning and occasionally his name would fall from Jooheon's lips. “ _Oh god. Changkyun_.” 

Jooheon was pleasuring himself. Jooheon was calling out _his name_ while doing it.

His stubborn fucking human.

It was time he claimed what was his. Jooheon couldn't argue the magic now that it had dissipated. He wanted Jooheon and Jooheon _obviously_ wanted him and Changkyun was done letting the man run away.

Letting himself into the room he heard Jooheon squeak in surprise but he simply shut the door behind him. Splayed out naked on the bed was his dumb human gaping like a fish. Instead of speaking Changkyun simply walked over to where Jooheon had nearly scrambled up into sitting position before he grabbed the long legs to hold them open and lowered himself between them making Jooheon turn scarlet.

“Chan- _AHhh_!” Jooheon's voice cut off the moment Changkyun dragged the flat of his tongue up the hot skin. The bitter taste reminded him of the ocean, of his home, which made him feel more possessive. Jooheon was his and now it was just a matter of getting him to realize that. “Wait. You-”

“I want to suck your dick and you're going to let me because you want me to do it too.” Changkyun looked at him. “We're not doing this dance anymore.” Jooheon was flushed a deep red. The broken moan Jooheon made when Changkyun took him in hand to lave at the head pleased him to no end. He had spent months imagining the noises his human would make when touched, all of them had fallen short of this. Fingers threaded in his hair, though they gave no direction, gave him all the encouragement he needed.

“Fuck.” Jooheon clutched at the sheets while trying to keep their eyes locked. “Kyun. Oh god Kyunnie.” Changkyun took more in his mouth, watching as Jooheon shook, head falling back into the pillows. His beautiful human who was finally letting go of all the tightly held reservations that kept them apart. “Kyunnie -i…” Changkyun began to hollow his cheeks making Jooheon arch off the bed. “Kyun...oh..oh go d..Kyunnie.” The hips rolled into his mouth but Changkyun followed the flow like he followed the tides. The fingers in his hair tightened a fraction as the moans pitched higher. “Changkyun. I'm...fuck I-” Relaxing his throat Changkyun took Jooheon all the way down, humming a pleased noise at heavy feeling on his tongue and triggering his lover to orgasm. “ _Changkyun_.” It was the most beautiful way he had ever heard his name spoken.

“Honey.” Changkyun coughed once to clear his throat before crawling up the shaking body for a heavy kiss. “I am yours and you are mine.” Jooheon's fingers gripping his hair arching up to press closer. Whispering against the soft lips he added, “Please say you'll be mine.”

“I've always been yours.” Jooheon cradled his face keeping them close. “I just didn't want you to-” Changkyun huffed then kissed him. No more self sacrificing or excuses. For either of them.

“I've done what you asked, I've dated other people and I still only want you.” Changkyun kissed him again. “I just want you.”

“What about Mark?” Changkyun watched as a look of panic rose and realized that he had not gotten around to explaining what happened. Jooheon moved to pull away. “You two were going to move in together.” 

“We’re too in love with other people to be together.” Changkyun stopped him before Jooheon could work himself up. “He wants JB and I only want you.” Jooheon stilled under him and that somehow scared him more. “Honey, I only want to be with you.”

“Changkyun?” Jooheon was quiet but hearing his name from his human in any form was pleasing. Tilting his head he waited. “Can I be your husband?” Changkyun blinked once then he processed what had just been asked.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Punctuating each yes with a kiss. He was nearly lightheaded with joy. “I’ll be your husband.”

“No.” Jooheon kissed his cheek smiling softly. Soft fingers threading through his hair, “I’m _your_ husband.”

Oh.

Changkyun realized belatedly Jooheon had once again put the power in his hands. Jooheon was going to bind _himself_ to Changkyun instead of the other way around. His Jooheon who never took anything but gave in spades. Changkyun didn’t know how he ever thought he could of been happy with anyone else.

“Kyunnie.” Jooheon’s hands moved everywhere. “Undress for me.” Changkyun stood long enough to chuck off his clothing before climbing back on the bed sighing happily when Jooheon moved between his legs to touch and kiss and lick over his skin. “You’re so beautiful Kyunnie.” Jooheon kissed him like a dying man. 

“Jooheon.” Changkyun whimpered between kisses. “Touch me. Please, please, _please touch me_.” Jooheon's hands moved over his skin. “Honey.”

“Shhh baby.” Jooheon took his mouth in another heavy kiss as a nimble hand slid down to grip him. His human's touch was electric, sparking everything inside him to life.

“I want you.” Changkyun felt around the dresser for what he knew would be there. “Honey please I want you.” Fingers closing around a familiar enough bottle he pressed the lube into Jooheon's hand. “Please.” 

When the spell first broke Changkyun didn't think he could ever love any human, least of all Jooheon. But now months later and arching up as Jooheon, _his human_ , slowly rocked into him Changkyun realized he had loved his sweet mate since the first time Jooheon told him no. Since the first time Jooheon refused to touch him when he was under the thrall. 

“Kyunnie.” Jooheon already looked dazed. The unfocused look mixed with lust made Changkyun's mouth water.

“Jooheon.” Pulling down his human he pressed their foreheads together. “My Jooheon. My human. Mine.”

“Yours. Always, always, yours.” Jooheon gripped his hips tighter. “Cum for me Kyunnie.” A hand wrapped itself around him and Changkyun gasped. “I love you.” Humans used those words so often but it didn't matter. Jooheon never lied to him. His human _loved_ him and that was the most important thing to ever happen in his life. “I love you Changkyun.” At that Changkyun came moaning lowly as Jooheon didn't stop looking him in the eyes, didn't stop moving inside him. “Oh god Kyunnie.”

“Claim me.” Changkyun begged breathlessly as he crossed his ankles trapping Jooheon to him. “Make me yours Honey. I want to be yours.” Jooheon shook, eyes finally slipping closed. Peppering the straining neck Changkyun added, “You're my husband Jooheon, make me yours.”

Jooheon came again with his name rolling off the tongue and Changkyun gasped at the feeling of his lover pulsating inside of him. It was it's own sort of magic.

“I love you.” Changkyun murmured into the sweat slicked skin. “I love you.”

*

By the time Granny returned the following week Changkyun was buzzing with excitement. In anticipation he cooked them all a big meal while scrubbing the kitchen down when Jooheon took the beat up pickup truck down to the station to pick her up. 

“Kyunnie we're home.” Jooheon's voice called from the door. Changkyun felt a little sick a sudden wave of nerves hit him. What if Granny was upset? What if she didn't let him stay? What i-

“Smells good Kyunnie.” Granny smiled fondly under a large sun hat. “No fucking while I'm home. You'll have to wait until I leave.”

“GRANNY!” Jooheon went scarlet, mouth dropping in shock.

“No promises Granny but we'll try to be quiet.” Changkyun winked getting an exasperated sigh from the old woman.

These were his humans and it didn't matter if the sea wanted him back he wasn't leaving them for the world.

Fin.


	2. Opalescent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kihyun lived by the sea too far long not to believe in the stories, besides he only said he didn’t believe in mermaids to watch his lovers sulk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me @ kihyun: you out there living my best monster fucker life. Get that fish dick - S

**Part I: Kihyun**

As a small child Kihyun would sit on the edge of the dock singing to the ocean, legs kicking into the water as the waves splashed up at him. His family made the daily offerings to the sea folk so while some would usher their children away warning them of sharp toothed fish or other nasties he was left to his devices and was more or less ignored by the creatures of the deep - save a few leeches every year. 

By the time he was twenty, Kihyun had swam most of the coast line, discovered nearly every cave, and had almost been eaten by two sirens.

That last one was not his fault, thank you.

He had taken a job on a fishing boat to kill time during the summer before deciding if he was leaving for college or staying in the small town. The large metal boat went out every morning at dawn and returned every evening at dusk, leaving him worn out. At least he had money in his pocket and a few free fish to take home to leave as offerings.

One day while pulling up the nets he had failed to see the shimmer of bright red scales and two very annoyed scowls. Being too lost in his music, he had continued to sing along to the lyrics in his head phones while his body moved on autopilot.

_“Baby, I like the way you keep moving ‘round the place and when you're dancing in my face. Oh, I just play it cool.”_

He pulled the net over the bow to the opening and reached up to start releasing his haul.

_“There must be something about you.”_

A hand shot out, grabbing his wrist and finally drawing his attention before he could release the nets.

“Oh.” Kihyun had stared, nearly unbelievingly until the siren twisted again, its teeth bared. “OH!”

“Why are humans so dumb?” The red haired siren hissed. “Let us go.” Kihyun blinked up to see another one was tangled up just above the red haired one that was still glowering at him, with scales a deep sapphire blue.

“STAY HERE.” Kihyun ripped out his headphones before he scrambled to where there were several knives used for cutting nets. When he returned the two shifted as far as they could away from the knife, eyes going dangerously dark. “Don't move, I'll cut you out.” Kihyun slowly cut one rope at a time making sure not to get too close to any tanned skin or shimmering scales. “Nearly there. Just wait a few…seconds…..longe-HA!” A final cut allowed for the net to give way and the two sirens, along with a lot of fish, to spill out onto the deck. 

“Fool.” Kihyun nearly screamed when the red haired siren dragged him to the floor, knife skittering out of his hand and across the deck. Strong fingers kept him pinned down by the shoulders and the heavy tail kept his body still. Kihyun stared up at him, trying to think of anything that would keep his throat in tact.

“Minhyuk.” The second siren dragged himself over. The handsome face was framed with soft brown hair that Kihyun absently wanted to touch. “Leave him.”

“Fuck off, Shownu.” Minhyuk glared, black eyes returning to Kihyun's neck. “He started it.”

“And he let us go.” Shownu scolded sounding exasperated. Then in a small voice added, “It was kinda our fault.”

“How about this?” Kihyun shuddered as sharp teeth ghosted along his neck. “Sing for us and if it's pretty, I'll let you go.” Kihyun swallowed thickly. “Sing for us sirens, little human.”

Kihyun sang for his life. He sang every song he could think the words to, each lullaby his mother and grandmother sang to him as a child, even a few bar ditties that he had heard working on the dock.

“Hmmm.” Minhyuk hummed against his skin, voice low but approving. The cool lips skimmed along his jaw and cheekbones. “We know your voice. You live by the outcropping in the north, yes?”

“Y-yes.” Kihyun tried to ignore the very sensual way the siren's tail had taken to rubbing against him. “My family has for years.” Minhyuk made a clicking noise in the back of his throat that sounded happy. At least, Kihyun hoped it was a happy sound.

“Well then, I guess we really do need to let you go.” Minhyuk turned his face up to look at him. “We've missed your singing since you've been gone.”

“What?” Kihyun blinked in confusion, still afraid to move his head while Minhyuk held his body down. It was true he hadn't been down to the dock to sing since starting this job but he didn't realize there had ever been an audience. Let alone that his audience had been sirens.

“We've listened to you for years.” Shownu moved closer, tail sliding like a snake across the deck. With an embarrassed face, he admitted, “We had been so distracted by your singing we got caught in the net.” Kihyun didn't have a chance to say anything before Minhyuk swooped down to take a kiss. “You can't jus-... Why do I even try.”

“What's your name, pretty?” Minhyuk's tail twisted again against his lower body when the siren released his mouth leaving the taste of brine along his tongue.

Breathless he looked between the two, “Kihyun.” Shownu seemed to be watching them more amused than anything, dark eyes tracking along where his legs were splayed open on either side of the red tail. Maybe they intended to make a whole different kind of meal from him. That idea made Kihyun flare red and wiggle just a bit against the siren above him.

A movement from the deck above caught their attention, making both sirens jump and Kihyun to flush a deeper red. Over the deck the Captain took in the scene with a critical eye. “Don't tell me that fool boy netted you.” The Captain scolded, “You'll get us all killed.”

“Don't worry about it.” Shownu began pulling Minhyuk off though the redhead seemed to have no interest in moving from his spot. “He released us when he realized what happened. No harm no foul.” The Captain nodded absently keeping Kihyun pinned under his gaze. “Remember to come sing for us sometime.” Shownu whispered while he trailed cool fingers along Kihyun's jaw. 

Just as quick as they came, the two sirens pulled themselves up and over the side of the boat disappearing into the water while the Captain and the crew laughed at him. Kihyun might have died from embarrassment if he thought it would do any good.

***

That summer had also seen him nearly die at sea.

He had quit the large fishing boat and instead opted to work in the town, only occasionally going out on his little boat to fish for himself. Each night he would go to the edge of the dock to sing, though if the sirens were around they never showed up. Sometimes he thought he caught glimpses of them in the water, but each time he convinced himself it was the light of the moon.

On a relatively cool day nearly two months after his encounter, Kihyun had dragged his little boat into the water since he had the day off and rowed it out to sea. Kihyun had been out less than two hours when a storm rolled in. As the waves began to bash against him, he managed to slip on the life jacket just as he capsized. The pull of the current was dragging him farther out to sea even as he tried to use the waves to swim back towards the rapidly disappearing shoreline. With each little bit of ground he gained the sea pulled him out farther until finally he could do little more than tread water with his life jacket and try to keep from swallowing too much sea water. 

The storm seemed to stretch for days before slowly, the waves calmed; though by then he was hopelessly lost in the ocean. Almost morbidly, he wondered what the point of surviving the storm was if he was just going to die out here anyway. 

In the dark water, he could have sworn he saw a shimmer of light followed by black scales. Kihyun had been tempted to take off his lifejacket to swim down and see but a wave knocked into him, breaking the spell. Sputtering out salt water, Kihyun coughed a few times and looked for the light again but only found cold darkness.

He fell asleep from sheer exhaustion once the storm had calmed, leaving the water glass smooth. He didn't wake up when hands gripped at his body, nor when he was being pulled back towards land. He woke briefly when the sound of people arguing seemed to be echoing around him but soft lips pressed themselves to his ear, quietly singing him back to sleep.

When Kihyun finally did wake he was several things, but cold was the most prominent. Even with the sun blazing outside of the mouth of what seemed to be a large cave, it wasn't enough to warm the chill from the air. Studying the wide opening and dilapidated framework of what had been a dock, he decided it was likely this cave was used back in the old days for ships to dock here during storms or even to hide. Turning his attention down, he noted the sand was surprisingly soft under his fingers, the near white grains a rarity even by his town. There were only a few places that Kihyun had found sand like this, which gave him hope. If it was one of the three places he was close to home and could potentially swim back if another storm didn't come through while he tried.

Kihyun stood and tried to warm himself by moving around. “Hello?” Eventually he knew he would have to swim at least to the mouth of the cave to see try to see if he could confirm where he was. Walking to the very back of the cave he took a moment to relieve himself before going back to shoreline and wading out to the water waist deep.

“You're awake.” Kihyun jumped at the voice from the water next to him. Quiet as shadows, the two sirens had snuck up to him. “You almost died.” The redhead spoke with a frown, webbed hands touching his chest as if to check for wounds. “We almost didn’t find you after the storm. You got pulled pretty far out and Sunmi almost had you. which would have been very bad. She likes to eat pretty people.”

“Minhyuk.” Kihyun grasped at the name pointedly ignoring that last bit of frankly terrifying information. The memory of light and black scales came to mind and he thanked whoever was watching him for the wave that knocked him back to his senses. At his name, the red siren beamed a pleased smile. “And…” he swallowed hard looking at the blue siren that was smiling expectantly, “Shownu.” The sapphire siren beamed. Feeling too exposed in the water, Kihyun slowly backed up to the shore and the two sirens followed him until they had to drag themselves a bit onto the soft sand.

“Good memory, little human.” Minhyuk cooed. Kihyun took the opportunity to look at them. Both where beautiful with strong jaws, wide eyes, and soft smiles. Trailing his eyes lower Kihyun saw that along the lines of their necks he could make out gills that seemed to flutter when they breathed. They also had patches of shimmering scales that shone like opals high on their cheekbones and spattered across the expanses of their necks, chests, and arms. “Do you like what you see?” Kihyun's eyes flew back up, face flushed red again. “Sing for us.”

“What?” Kihyun shook himself a bit. Considering sirens were known for _their_ singing it was a strange request. “Why?” Minhyuk and Shownu shared a look.

“Because we saved you and you owe us a payment.” Minhyuk flicked his long tail in the water like a giant cat. A sudden sly smirk curled across his lips as eyes tracked down his body to rest where his wet shorts clung to his skin, “unless you'd like to pay with sex.”

“Wh. I. Huh..umm???” Kihyun knew he was stammering nonsense but both sirens simply waited, seemingly entertained. “ _Sex_?” Kihyun couldn't stop the incredulous tone. He’d never even thought about the idea of sirens having genitalia , let alone if they would be compatible with a humans.

“You're pretty.” Shownu finally spoke up, a soft smile curling his lips though his eyes dipped down to look along his body too. “And I'm sure you have something we could fit into.”

“ _Noooo._ ” Kihyun shook his head quickly, knees coming together. “Forget I asked. What do you want me to sing?”

“Damn. I was hoping he'd let us play with him.” Minhyuk pouted a moment but Shownu gave him a bland look. It seemed the sapphire scaled siren had been more realistic in his expectations. “Remember the days when people would jump in the water at the idea of having sex with us?”

“And they'd get eaten instead?” Shownu chuckled, the smile on his face fond as he looked at Minhyuk. “Well WE didn't eat people.” The large black eyes came back to rest on Kihyun. “Tried human once. Too gamey.” Kihyun wanted to point out that that wasn’t comforting but it was becoming clear they were enjoying this game.

“Too salty.” Minhyuk stuck out his tongue. “Fish are better.” The red siren rolled onto his back arching up and stretching with a small sigh as bones popped. “Now come sit by the water and sing for us.” Kihyun looked at the space between them. It was far enough that he wouldn’t get wet from the small waves that lapped at the shore line but it was close enough that their long tails were still mostly submerged.

“We won't ravage you.” Shownu followed Minhyuk's lead of rolling on his back and stretching. “In either way.” He took a moment to track the long lines of their torsos and wondered if all sirens were that toned or if it depended on what kind of fish they were hybrids of. Both of them caught him staring and Minhyuk winked, making him blush all over again.

“Okay.” A small part of Kihyun's brain was screaming that this was stupid. That he should try to escape. But with the only way out being the water, he was at their mercy. At least until they left. “ _Tonight looking at the moon_.” Kihyun fluctuated his voice so it bounced off the cave just right. “ _Tonight looking at the moon. That melancholy moon. You're just as lonely as I am. Living with an empty heart._ ”

“Hmm. So pretty.” Shownu hummed quietly next to him.

“ _Lying down in an empty room. Just thinking about things like this and that._ ” Closing his eyes and letting the music curl around him Kihun didn't notice the two pressing closer. “ _Heavy sigh and exhaling smoke. Another day passed again. Nothing has been done. My love has left me too. Reflecting the moon in a glass of liquor. Filling the glass. Drinking. The night end._ ” Breathing deeply for one last bit he belted out the end. “ _Tonight looking at the lonely moon. You're just as lonely as I am. Living with an empty heart._ ” Kihyun kept his eyes closed a moment longer but when he didn’t hear the two he opened them. He nearly squeaked in surprise. Both sirens were barely an inch away from his face watching him with wonder. The distant light caught on their scales and the urge to run his fingers along them was almost impossible to ignore. Almost.

“Are you sure you're not one of us?” Minhyuk tilted his head, eyes wide and fixed on his and way too close. “A siren with legs instead of a tail.” Minkyuk’s fingers trailed along his exposed calf as if in search of scales, then up onto his thigh making him jump a bit at the proximity. Seeing his face flush Minhyuk’s smile curled more, the fingertips trailing higher.

“Can't be. He's too warm.” Shownu's face brushed along his making Kihyun’s breath catch. The sapphire siren’s tail curled around his leg nearly snake like as he pressed closer.

“Very warm.” Minhyuk hummed an agreement doing the same until both were nearly on Kihyun's lap, faces pressed into his neck. “He's warmer when his face goes pink.”

“Why does your face go pink?” Shownu questioned innocently, face still firmly pressed against his skin. A cool tongue traced his jaw and Kihyun had to try very hard not to focus on how interested his body was becoming under their attention. It had been a long time since anyone had shown an interest in him, let alone on the level they were showering him with.

“It's because I'm blushing.” Kihyun inhaled raggedly trying not to move as they became more bold in their exploration of him. “Blood goes up and turns the skin pink.” Another brush of tongue against his skin made his heart skip.

“But why are you blushing?” Minhyuk's words held a curl of amusement and Kihyun realized he had fallen for their bait. Of all the tales Kihyun could remember about sirens he couldn’t recall a single one about them being this handsy unless it was to eat people. Nor could he think of one that said now horny they seemed to be. “Is it because you’re interested in us?”

“Oh fuck off.” Even if he wanted to Kihyun couldn't wiggle himself out from between the two of them now. Shownu’s light laugh sounded like bells even as they pressed closer still. Kihyun nearly asked if they consumed food like jellyfish, just wrapping things up until it slowly digested, but after nearly dying several times he didn't.

“I'd much rather fuck you.” The red siren's words where whispered into his ear followed by teeth grazing his earlobe. “Aren't you curious? About what it would be like?” The question made him gape like a fish. The hand now on his thigh was reaching up further to gently prod at his embarrassingly interested dick. “We can make you feel good, pretty Kihyun. Shownu has a bigger knot but I'm longer.” A vivid image painted itself across his brain and Kihyun’s entire body went hot.

“Woah, woah, woah.” Trying to crawl backwards, Kihyun's palm slipped in the sand and sent him tumbling down onto his back. “What the fuck is happening?” Above him the two sirens smiled down, tails still firmly curled around his legs. “Just eat me and be done with it. I can't take much more of this.” The two looked at each other a moment trilling back and forth before Minhyuk shrugged, mouth opening in a wide yawn.

“No need for that.” Shownu chuckled, laying against his chest as Minhyuk did the same. “You sang for us and we'll take that as payment. Now nap with us and then we'll take you home.” That made Kihyun try to sit up again but under their weight he couldn’t do much more than lift his head. “Sleep. Consider it prepayment.” 

“Won't you get sick if you're out of the water like this?” Kihyun again noticed the waves weren't enough to bring the water up enough to hit them and only half of their tails were submerged now that they had moved up farther to follow him as he backpedaled. 

“Not as sick as you'll get if you sleep in the water.” Minhyuk yawned again, nuzzling against his chest. “Sleep, pretty Kihyun. You're warmer when you're sleeping.” That made Kihyun's brain explode another thirty questions, but Shownu had leaned next to his ear and began to sing something soft that made his brain go a bit fuzzy. When Minhyuk began as well it took less than a minute for sleep to take him.

As if to spite him, he dreamt of being splayed out while the two sirens took turns making him scream.

Kihyun woke sometime later to the feeling of lips and tongues moving against his neck while very insistent hands moved along his chest. At a particularly hard graze of teeth he couldn't keep in the small whimper. It seemed the sirens had taken the opportunity to feel him up, though he noted neither had touched him anywhere below the belt. He supposed that was something.

"Hi, pretty Kihyun." Shownu's voice was pitched low. "You were making such nice noises when you were sleeping." The blush that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face flared back to life. "Were you dreaming of us?"

"N-no." Kihyun tried to lie but it was clear none of them, himself included, bought it. "You said you'd take me home." He had hoped that the change of subject would divert their attention. It did not. The two seemed to press closer at the idea of him no longer being with them.

"I did." Shownu lifted himself up to kiss a line across his face. "Are you sure we can't play with you pretty Kihyun?" Shownu pecked his lips.

"You could make me." Kihyun's heart thumped against his ribs. "If you could make me sleep I'm sure you could make me have sex with you." That seemed to make them stop, a dark look crawling across Shownu's face.

"We could but we won't." Minhyuk finally spoke, voice thin. The red siren pulled away and the small, lizard part of Kihyun's brain nearly asked for them to come back. "We don't take unwilling partners." Kihyun nearly shot back that they had spent the better part of a day feeling him up, though other than the one incident earlier, neither had touched him particularly inappropriately and when Minhyuk had he was fully awake. "You don't think we would actually force you, do you?" 

Kihyun looked between the two, both looked a little defensive, but he could see something small and vulnerable behind their stares. "No." Kihyun shook his head. They had plenty of opportunity to do so and had not. "No, I don't think you would. You're _very_ handsy and persistent but I don't think you would." That made both of them light up, smiles stretching to reveal pointed teeth. Distantly, Kihyun wondered what they would feel like in his skin. Mentally slapping himself, he looked at the mouth of the cave and saw that they must have slept longer than he thought. It was already dusk.

"Good." Shownu swooped forward kissing him soundly. "Minhyuk got to kiss you on the boat. It's only fair." Kihyun glared between them. "Okay pretty Kihyun. Time to take you home."

"How are you going to get me there?" Kihyun suddenly remembered his rickety boat was likely in pieces somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.

"Stay here." Minhyuk shimmied himself back into the water. He was gone for only a few minutes when a large piece of driftwood came into view. The mop of red hair popped up from the water and he smiled, "You'll hold onto this and we'll pull you. You're not very far from home. We'll have you back by nightfall." Kihyun nodded absently, looking at the driftwood again. "Its okay, pretty Kihyun, we'll keep you from drowning."

As it turns out, Minhyuk hadn't been exaggerating. It had taken less than an hour for the sirens to pull him up to the little beach at the base of his house. Kihyun had to simply hang on while the two pulled him along the curve of the coast. As he looked at the rock formations he realized that he had found that cave years ago when he’d first started going out on his boat. His mother had called it his pirate cave when he had made the joke about hiding treasure in the soft sand inside.

"Thank you." Kihyun stayed sitting in the water, letting the sirens press against him and coo in his ears. "Will…" Kihyun took a deep breath, "will you still be around after this?" He felt a little insane asking, but the idea of the sirens leaving made his heart hurt. Maybe he liked the attention.

"Do you want us to stay around?" Minhyuk asked, kissing behind his ear. Kihyun nodded a yes. "Do you remember the way back to the cave?" Kihyun nodded again. "Come there when you want to see us."

"How will you know I'm there?" Kihyun questioned as they pulled away. "I'm sure you have better things to do than sit in a cave all day. I work, so I can't come everyday or even at the same time all the time."

"So considerate." Shownu kissed his cheek. "Leave a rock on the dock the night before you go and we'll know to wait for you." Shownu's hand curled around his jaw making his head turn so the siren could kiss him again. His tongue was colder than he remembered and there were small ridges along the sides that he wasn't used to but it wasn't a bad feeling. Just different. The moment Shownu pulled back Minhyuk turned his face and kissed him just as deeply. "Sleep well pretty Kihyun. Dream of us."

"Again." Minhyuk took another kiss and then they were gone, only brief shimmers beneath the water in the moonlight.

Kihyun’s parents had been in near hysterics when he walked through the door. They thought he had died in the storm and both clung to him crying. When Kihyun told them about the two sirens, he pointedly kept out the fact that they had tried to seduce him and his parents made a promise to double the amount of offerings for the next two moons in gratitude. 

Kihyun returned to his life, though after only two weeks he found that he missed Shownu and Minhyuk. He still went down to the dock every night to leave the offerings and sometimes sing to the water in hopes that they would surface. Occasionally when he would go to the dock he would find things resting on edge. A conch shell, some sea glass, and once a handful of pearls glowing milk white in the moonlight. Kihyun picked up each looking around but even under the glow of the full moon he wasn’t able to catch sight of red or blue scales.

Purchasing a new boat and leaving a rock on the dock, Kihyun went to bed.

Waiting until the sun began to come over the horizon, Kihyun dragged his boat out into the water to begin navigating his way to the cave. In the boat with him was a large basket of food, some bottles of water, towels, and a few other things that he figured he would need to comfortably spend the day in a cave with two sirens. He also brought a small grill that he could use to make a fire if it was needed. When he got close enough to the shore of the cave Kihyun hopped into the water to drag it up into the sand. Pulling out the items and setting them up, he waited.

He laid out a blanket near the edge of the water where the three had slept the last time and curled up to read a book. At some point, he must have fallen asleep because when he blinked awake Minhyuk was watching him intently while the body curled around him from behind could only be Shownu.

“You came.” Minhyuk’s smile nearly split his face. “We didn’t think you’d come back.” Shownu’s face buried itself into his neck.

“I missed you.” Kihyun said truthfully. “Which sounds weird since I don’t know you that well. But I did.” Wiggling over, Minhyuk pressed close. “You two are always so cold.”

“We’re from the sea.” Shownu kissed along his neck. “Our bodies run colder than yours because the water is cold.” Shownu’s hand slipped under his shirt to rest on his stomach making him shiver a bit. “Tell us about you pretty Kihyun.”

Kihyun told them about his childhood. About how he spent his time exploring the coast and how he nearly left to go live in the city. He told him about his older brother and how he misses him now that he’s living in Japan. Eventually, he ran out of things to talk about and silence fell around them.

“We’re glad you didn’t leave.” Shownu murmured, nuzzling closer. “We have missed you too.” 

Minhyuk rolled to his side coaxing him into kiss. This time Kihyun let himself really experience it. Minhyuk tasted like the water deep below the surface, tongue just as cool as Shownu’s and ridged as well. As webbed fingers tugged at his hair he made a small sound that seemed to delight the sirens. 

“You have the nicest noises, pretty Kihyun.” Shownu licked along his neck.

Finally, they broke apart when Kihyun had to pull back, breathing raggedly and a little dazed. With a little shuffling they rolled him onto his back so Shownu could kiss him just as deeply again, making Kihyun’s toes curl. 

“Did you like our gifts?” Minhyuk asked into his ear. Pulling back, he stared up dazed at them a moment before pulling the leather cord to show the piece of sea glass he wrapped in wire and attached to the cord.

“Yes, thank you.” Kihyun noticed a slight change in them. Their eyes seemed fixated on the green sea glass, already wide pupils fluctuating between narrowing and getting wider. “What?”

“Those are courting gifts.” Shownu finally spoke, his voice pitched low and strained. “Do you still accept them?” Kihyun flared pink, the weight of the glass seemed to double, though he had figured that was what they were. There were enough stories about sea folk leaving gifts to entice mortals to be their lovers. He knew all the tales and still took them knowing the ramifications of doing so.

“Why me?” Kihyun breathed not ready to answer. The two tilted their heads in question as if the answer should have been clear. “There are plenty of pretty people here. Why me?”

“Because you’re nice.” Shownu smiled. “You set us free the last time without asking for payment.”

“Because you have always been good to the sea.” Minhyuk added moving closer. “We’ve watched you for a long time.”

“Because you’re voice is really pretty.” Shownu kissed the sea glass necklace.

“Because you came back even though we obviously overwhelmed you.” Minhyuk nuzzled his face. “And also you’re warm. It’s nice.”

“I’m warm?” Kihyun laughed, which made them coo. He could become addicted to the attention. “Yes. I accept them.” Kihyun wondered if he was making a mistake doing this. He barely knew them. They were sirens. It didn’t really matter though. They wanted him and over the last two weeks he had come to terms with wanting them back. 

Besides, if things went sideways he could always move to the city and never have to see the ocean again.

“Can we touch you, pretty Kihyun?” Minhyuk’s fingers brushed against the sea glass necklace. “Please?” Kihyun felt his cheeks warm but nodded a yes. “Thank you.” Minhyuk smiled, kissing him again only this time the hand moved down to grind against him roughly, making him gasp.

“All your noises are as pretty as you.” Shownu cooed as Kihyun’s breath hitched between kisses and Minhyuk’s attention. “We won’t play with you today but I hope you’ll let us soon.” Kihyun broke away to moan, the sound filling the cave. “Let us make you feel good, pretty Kihyun.” Shownu kissed down his neck. Kihyun rolled his hips into the hand, letting the little gasps and whimpers fall freely until he finally came with a long moan into Minhyuk’s neck.

“So pretty.” Minhyuk cooed, finally stopping his hand. “Will you wear more if we bring it to you?” Minhyuk kissed the sea glass again.

“Y-yeah.” Kihyun let them lay on his chest as he caught his breath. “I’ll wear them.” That delighted both of his...what? Boyfriends? Partners? Kihyun wondered exactly what someone would classify being involved with a siren as, let alone two sirens. “What am I to you?”

“Our mate.” Shownu snorted. “Naturally.” Kihyun nearly laughed at that. He should have figured it would have been something like that. “And we’re yours.”

“My mates.” Kihyun tested the words on his tongue. It felt right. The two sirens wiggled delightedly, pressing kisses to his cheeks while soft trills filled his ears.

**Part II: Minhyuk**

When they first took a human mate, Minhyuk had been more than a little skeptical. He of course wanted the pretty human, but they had always had passing interests in humans. Minhyuk had given it a few months, tops, before they were bored and moved on. It had happened more than a few times before. Humans were pretty things that came and went with the same predictable nature as the ocean tides. 

Five years after meeting Kihyun and courting him Minhyuk felt foolish. It was impossible not to love him. Everything about their human was endearing, even when he got angry and threatened to put them in a fish tank. Minhyuk couldn't quite place why he was so endearing, in honesty Kihyun wasn’t the prettiest human they courted or the most adventurous, but whenever he looked at Kihyun his heart swelled in his chest. Then again other parts of him also swelled when looking at him.

Nearly a year after agreeing to be their mate, Kihyun had finally let them play with him. If they thought he was warm on the surface, when Minhyuk finally sank into Kihyun they found he was nearly molten inside. Whenever they had sex both he and Shownu had to take special care that they didn't hurt their beautiful mate. Being nearly double the average humans size meant sometimes Kihyun simply sat there while they moaned at his warmth, at how when he twitched it sent jolts through their entire body.

"Min." Kihyun's voice drew his attention. Their mate was pink and flushed as he slowly lowered himself down, long legs backeting his hips. Around his neck a large piece of sea glass wrapped in metal hung by a leather cord . In Kihyun’s ears was more sea glass that he had fashioned into earrings and a band of sliver on his finger held a small pearl. All gifts from them, all screaming out to the Others that this human was theirs. "Where is Shownu?" Minhyuk took in the expanse of tan skin and contracting muscles before his eyes slipped closed. His mate had come to the cave that day already opened and slick leaving Minhyuk unable to do anything other than lay on the blanket so Kihyun could tease at his tail until he was hard and throbbing out of his sheath.

"He'll be by soon. He went to catch us food." Minhyuk groaned when Kihyun's ass came nearly flush with his tail. "Warm. So warm." That made Kihyun smile. He found it amusing that they always remarked on his body temperature, except for the few times their mate got sick and he became _distressingly_ warm. "Lay against me." Adjusting himself slightly, Kihyun did, little gasps falling as the ridges of his dick stimulated him. Wrapping his arms around their human, Minhyuk thumbed at the thighs that shook just a bit when Kihyun would shift. "How was your day?"

"Boring." Kihyun kissed along his collarbones then up his neck, lips brushing carefully along his gills. "Spent it missing you and Nunu." Minhyuk cooed even as he wiggled when Kihyun’s breath tickled behind his ear. For all the attention they rained on him they loved it that he returned it. "My parents are moving out and leaving me the house."

"Where are they going?" Shifting slightly, he hummed happily at Kihyun's shiver.

"A small apartment in town." Kihyun nuzzled against his jaw and added more kisses. "What did you do today?" Minhyuk nearly laughed at the question. Their mate’s life was always infinitely more interesting but he insisted on knowing about their lives as if they did anything other than float around and wait for him to return to them.

"The usual." Shifting again, he got a small gasp. "Swam around, bullied fish, missed you." Kihyun's chuckle died as he moved again. Minhyuk rocked up gently into their mate and Kihyun shifted back slightly to meet him. "Louder Kihyun. Let's make Shownu jealous he's taking so long."

" _Ah!_ " Kihyun's broken moans bounced around their little cave. The slow slide had both of them trembling, moans echoing together. Kihuyn’s little noises made Minhyuk’s eyes roll up a bit and reach deep inside for some level of control. 

"Can," Minhyuk asked breathlessly, "can you take my knot today pretty Kihyun?" The deep brown eyes looked up a moment before Kihyun nodded a yes. "Off and turn around." With a pout Kihyun slowly slid off biting his lip before turning around, ass presented like a prize, and slid back down. "My love you're beautiful." Mesmerized, Minhyuk watched himself disappear into his mate. It took a little extra time but when his knot slid into their human, Minhyuk's head fell forward onto Kihyun's shoulders, hands gripping the slim hips as he moaned, long tail curling in pleasure. Kihyun couldn't always take their knots, especially Shownu's, unless he had prepped for it and sometimes not even then. But whether he could take their knot or no, nothing was more intoxicating than the feeling of their mate pressed against or wrapped around their bodies.

"Hey Nunu." Kihyun managed between his moans catching Minhyuk’s attention. On the shoreline, Shownu watched them hungrily with a net full of fish. Smirking around Kihyun’s shoulder Minhyuk licked their human’s ear. "You're late." Sitting up, Minhyuk pulled Kihyun to his chest, both of them leveling heavy stares at Shownu. 

Moaning lowly Kihyun groaned a small, " _Min._ " Minhyuk wrapped a hand around Kihyun's dick to stroke it, his other trailing down and making Kihyun arch up. Shownu liked it when their mate was on display. With each stroke Kihyun's moans pitched higher. "Shownu touch me."

"Pretty Kihyun." Moving up to where they were to kiss him, Shownu dragged a hand up Minhyuk's tail, knowing it was sensitive while his dick was out of its sheath. As Shownu kissed him, Kihyun twisted and clenched making Minhyuk groan louder. He wasn't going to last much longer. "Does Min's knot feel good Kihyun?" Shownu mouthed at their mate's neck, careful not to cut the skin with his sharp teeth.

"Yes." Kihyun rocked back and forth in little motions, his whole body shaking. "I- _ah_ \- I kept a plug in at work so I could take it." 

Minhyuk's breath froze in his lungs. The image of their mate surrounded by people with a plug in so he could take _his_ knot made his normally cool body feel hot. Gently, Minhyuk pulled Kihyun until he raised himself off. Once Minhyuk wasn't in his mate any longer he pulled Kihyun down and their human ground against Minhyuk’s dick until he came spurting thick nearly clear cum over himself and Kihyun’s thighs. "I miss when you came in me." Kihyun continued his motions until Minhyuk forced him to stop.

"So do we but it makes you sick." Shownu kissed Kihyun's cheek. "We want to keep our pretty Kihyun healthy for us." Kihyun let Shownu pull him off and lay him flat on his back. Smirking, Kihyun lifted his legs to let Shownu begin sliding between the strong thighs. Another hard learned lesson was their human couldn’t take them back to back but slipping between Kihyun’s thighs was nearly as pleasurable. Nearly. While it wasn’t as warm it did mean they didn’t have to hold back as much and unlike his ass, Kihyun’s thighs could always take their knots. “Kihyun.” Shownu groaned, a hand coming around to stroke Kihyun making their mate cry out.

“You look so pretty with Shownu.” Minhyuk curled onto his side kissing Kihyun’s hair. “Two days was a long time to miss you.” Minhyuk nuzzled his face. He and Shownu were taking the distance less and less well. They understood that to keep the beach house and all the things Kihyun needed to live that their mate needed to work but it was hard to watch Kihyun disappear onto land, worse so when they knew he wouldn’t be back the next day. There were a few times where Kihyun had been kept away for a week or longer and they had gone nearly blind with grief. 

“ _Ah!!_ ” Kihyun arched up under Shownu and came while Shownu followed a moment later.

“Pretty Kihyun.” Minhyuk ran his hand through the thick release to drag it up Kihyun’s chest. At first he didn’t let them do this, mark him, but eventually he encouraged them to do it. He told them he had gotten used to it and liked the idea that anything that caught his scent would smell them too and leave him be. Few creatures, even land creatures, wanted to cross sirens, especially in a coastal town.

“I talked with Yugyeom.” Kihyun stretched a bit before pulling Shownu to lay on his chest. “The Kims only know of one way to make someone a siren.” At that Minhyuk and Shownu perked up. “But you’re not going to like it.” Kihyun chewed on his cheek a bit. “You’d have to carve out my heart and eat it.”

“Absolutely not.” Shownu nearly launched off Kihyun’s chest to stare at their mate. Shaking his head vehemently Shownu ground out a slightly panicked, “No.”

“Yeah.” Kihyun sighed, slumping a bit but pulling Shownu back down to him. “I wasn’t really keen on the idea either.” Kihyun’s eyes fixed on something out at sea though Minhyuk was trying to shake away the image of having to carve out the heart of their beautiful lover. They knew sirens that had been turned that way, all of them vengeful and cold. The idea of their mate who was warm in both body and soul turning into a cold creature was repulsive. Nevermind the fact they would have to eat his heart. For all of their jokes, neither of them ate humans and they would not start with their mate. “There was something about maybe a spell but it won’t work unless I drown.” Everything in Minhyuk’s body screamed against that idea too and with the way Shownu was frowning he agreed.

“We could find a way to become human.” Minhyuk offered though Kihyun frowned. “What did Yugyeom have to say about that?”

“He doesn’t know if that’s possible without killing you.” Minhyuk didn’t point out that life wasn’t really worth living if he wasn’t in it. He and Shownu had lived long enough that the thought of mortality no longer scared them as it did in their youth. Especially if it meant that they got to spend their days with Kihyun. “Yugyeom is asking a few people outside of town to see if he can get more ideas.”

“Hey.” Shownu nuzzled closer. “We’ll figure it out okay. Just no dying on us.” Kihyun was uncomfortably quiet for Minhyuk’s taste.

After a brief nap, Kihyun waded into the water with them as they rehydrated their skin and tails. Being out of the water for extended periods left them feeling dry and fatigued as their bodies worked to not shut down. It often distressed Kihyun when they would wake up from their naps shaky from dehydration. Swimming in lazy circles around their mate none of them noticed they weren’t alone.

“You two always find the prettiest humans.” Jerking upright Minhyuk saw the source of the voice. Sitting on the rotten dock Sunmi was watching them, her black eyes fixated on their human. “I nearly ate you once.” Under the tumble of black hair she smiled, lips stained red. “I’m glad the boys convinced me otherwise. They are much happier with you.”

“I’m sorry I don’t know you.” Kihyun didn’t bolt for land which earned him points with the sea witch. Sunmi giggled a bit, her body slipping back into the water like ink. After a moment Minhyuk caught sight of her moving closer, a glow appearing in the water. Shooting an arm out, both he and Shownu grabbed Kihyun to keep their mate from stumbling into the deep water after her. After a few moments her head breached above the water only enough that her eyes sat above the water line. For as friendly as she was to sea folk the siren witch only ever saw humans as prey.

“The light in the water during the storm.” Minhyuk could feel Kihyun shaking. Their mate remembered a disturbing amount of things. Still, Kihyun stood his ground as she moved closer with unblinking eyes. “That was you.”

The next few movements were too fast for any of them to track. One moment she was watching, the next she had dragged Kihyun underwater taking him away, sharp teeth buried deep in his arm. Minhyuk nearly screamed as he and Shownu chased them through the water. To their terror they ran into a wall of Sunmi’s magic at the mouth of the cave while she continued to drag Kihyun farther and farther away. Unable to break Sunmi’s magic they curled together and wept.

***

The sun had begun to rise up on the horizon before either of them begun attempting to prod at the magic wall. Finding the magic gone they tentatively swam out, however there was no trace of their mate or Sunmi. They continued swimming out in wider circles until they finally made their way to Kihyun’s home. To their surprise, sitting on the dock looking pale and sickly sat their mate. What worried Minhyuk the most was the normally soft blue veins of Kihyun’s body were black. He looked like one of the sirens that had their hearts eaten.

“Kihyun?” Slowly Shownu approached. Something was wrong and both he and Shownu could feel it. Sunmi didn’t just let humans go and even if she did she would not return them to land.

“It didn’t work.” Kihyun curled in on himself, a shaking hand touching the white bandage on his upper arm that no doubt covered the bite. “Apparently drowning yourself willingly negates the magic.” A small dark thing began to work itself into Minhyuk’s heart as he remembered Kihyun telling them the ways he found to turn himself. “We thought...we thought if she bit me and could drag me down deep enough that it would kick in this time.” Tears began to well and fall down their mate’s cheeks. “It just hurt.”

“Did you…” Minhyuk felt sick. Too many things were kicking into place and they all pointed to things he didn’t want to think about. “This time? Kihyun how many times have you tried to drown yourself?” Kihyun curled farther into himself refusing to look at him. “How did you know Sunmi?”

“She found me after the first time.” Kihyun kept his eyes low, fingers wrapped around the sea glass that always glinted from around his neck. “The sea glass kept her from eating me and we sat here while she ate fish and talked.” Minhyuk couldn’t bring himself to be angry that Kihyun had lied in the cave by pretending not to know Sunmi. Had they even thought the two of them were up to something, Shownu or himself would have dragged Kihyun to the shore.

“How many times Kihyun?” Glancing over Minhyuk saw how raw Shownu looked. They’d lived through the deaths of enough people, he didn’t think they would survive Kihyun’s.

Their mate’s answer was small, “Three.” Minhyuk tried to keep his heart from collapsing. Their Kihyun had nearly died _three_ times trying to be with them. “I’m sorry. I tried the only thing I could think of.” More tears fell but Kihyun made no move to climb down from the dock. 

A splash in the water was the only warning they had before Shownu bolted away. Gazing up, Minhyuk and Kihyun’s eyes met just a moment before their mate slowly stood up with shaking legs and retreated back on land, leaving him alone at the dock. 

Unable to follow Kihyun on land, Minhyuk trailed after Shownu. He found his mate in the little cave that they shared with Kihyun. Curled up on the blanket they had all laid on the day before was Shownu, body shaking as he cried. Crawling onto land and wrapping himself around Shownu, Minhyuk held his mate close. The smell of Kihyun drifted up from the blanket wrapping them in his scent even though he was absent.

After a while Shownu asked in a voice rough with tears. “What do we do?” The older coiled their tails together. “Min what do we do?”

“I don’t know.” Minhyuk sighed, feeling heavy.

 

***

After a month they caught sight of Kihyun’s little boat making its way toward the cave. They had gone to his house but not a single time had their mate been at the dock. They had gone to try speaking to his parents while they set out the offerings at the edge of the dock, but they had told them Kihyun left for the city on an errand. Hearing their mate had gone so far inland where they could never hope to follow left him and Shownu feeling hollow inside. It was worse than when they had to retreat to the ocean in winter. At least when the water warmed they returned to find their mate waiting.

Slowly following the boat deep enough that Kihyun couldn't see them, they waited and watched from the water. When Kihyun docked the boat, their human stood waist deep as if he knew they were there. 

Kihyun looked better than he did the last time he saw them. His skin had returned to the creamy tan, his hair looked a little longer than they were used to but most important was the black veins that had colored his skin were gone. Swimming closer to land, Minhyuk saw that high on Kihyun’s arm was a scar from Sunmi’s bite. Kihyun must have noticed their movements because without hesitation their mate waded deeper into the water. Still, he looked nervous, fingers absently fiddling with the sea glass necklace. Not waiting for Shownu to move, Minhyuk shot forward until he collided with Kihyun sending the human falling backwards a bit before righting himself. 

Kihyun let Minhyuk pull him closer to the shore until eventually Kihyun sat in the soft sand. Wrapping his tail as much as he could around their human, Minhyuk kissed him long and hard. He kissed him until they were both out of breath and clinging to one another, pressing small kisses on the corner of his lips as Kihyun's fingers tightened in his hair. Pulling back a bit, Minhyuk stared up into the warm brown eyes.

"Missed you." Kihyun pressed their foreheads together, hands sliding down to cup his jaw. Kihyun's palms felt like lava where they held his face after being parted so long.

"Missed you more." Minhyuk held him tighter. Hearing Shownu approach, both of them waited for his reaction. Their mate wasn't angry at Kihyun but he had taken it the hardest. “Sh-” Kihyun was cut off by Shownu pulling him into a soft but intense kiss. Shownu’s blue tail curled around his own tail and Kihyun’s legs as the two kissed unhurriedly.

“No more Kihyun.” Minhyuk kissed his cheek while the two curled closer together. “Please don’t do that again.” Pulling back Kihyun stared at them sadly.

“I talked with the Kims...a lot.” Looking down at his arm with the scar he sighed. “It wouldn’t have worked after the first failed attempt. Something about adaptive magic and desperation not being the same as intent.” Kihyun chewed his bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of any other way to do it and no one else can find a way to change you.”

“We understand.” Shownu kissed Kihyun’s shoulder then jaw. “But please understand we can’t lose you like that.” Kihyun dropped his gaze again looking small. “Will you lay with us? Just for a little while?” Finally a smile ghosted over Kihyun’s face. “We love you.”

“I love you two.” Kihyun pulled them into two short kisses.

Dragging their human back to land both he and Shownu laid their mate between them and simply listened to the steady beat of his heart. They would find a way to become human, even if it meant making a deal with the sea witches in the trench.

**Part III: Shownu**

Winter was quickly approaching and that meant at least three months away from their mate. After learning of what Kihyun had done to be with them, both Shownu and Minhyuk tried to think of ways that they could become human. They had gone to other sirens and merfolk trying to figure another path with mixed results. Many of the sea folk took mortal lovers but none of them ever wanted to give up what they were. The longer he and Minhyuk tried to figure out a solution the more they found themselves becoming outcasts. 

There were tales of sea folk with immense magic if they were brave enough to swim down to the dark. Most tales ended in merfolk dead, or worse, but with fall rapidly slipping towards winter and Kihyun already having to cut visits short they were desperate. The problem lay in that they were not magical despite being fae creatures, their bodies couldn’t simply change like a human’,s and they didn’t know of anyone who was magical.

That was a lie.

Sunmi was a siren that had been born in the dark places of the ocean and possessed magic. However, they were still upset that she had hatched a mad scheme with their mate and nearly killed him. The two of them would rather saw off their tails than speak to her but no matter how far and wide they searched the ocean, all stories pointed back to her.

The first frost of the year came early. Shownu had barely broken the surface of the water before he was cold. Sitting in the cave, Kihyun sat wrapped up in blankets even as a small fire crackled in the sand close by. With each layer of clothing Shownu dreaded the winter months. Crawling up onto the sand, Kihyun was quick to bring a blanket to wrap him in.

"Hey Nunu." Kihyun held him close. "Where is Min?"

"Running an errand." Shownu lied. Minhyuk was out gathering offerings for the witches of the trench. They knew they wouldn't survive another winter away from their mate, not after almost losing him and then being separated for a month. "I love you Kihyun. We both do."

"I love you too." Kihyun kissed his forehead. "I was hoping Min would be here. It's going to be cold tomorrow, really cold. I won't be able to come out." Shownu wanted to argue but they had learned early that Kihyun's immune system was delicate and after their mate's attempts at turning himself it had weakened further. "Doc and the Kims said that the damage from the incidents should heal up by the time spring rolls around." Shownu pressed closer knowing he would have to retreat to the water soon since the sand and the fire were drying out his scales. "They're worried about pneumonia since I had water in my lungs." The number of times was intentionally not mentioned.

"Will you wait for us, pretty Kihyun?" Shownu asked quietly. It was a question they had asked every year since their first winter.

"I would follow you if I could." The sadness in Kihyun's voice gripped at his heart. "I'll always wait for you." Pulling Kihyun down for a kiss Shownu tried to memorize every part of their mate. If this was the last he would see Kihyun until either spring, they could strike a deal, or they died trying he was going to imprint Kihyun deeply into his memory. 

***

Shownu waited until Kihyun had to put out the fire and left before swimming off to meet Minhyuk. The two of them glanced one last time toward the surface of the water, their hearts already heavy. In Minhyuk's hand was a finely woven net that held things they hoped would at least appease the sea witches enough to hear their case. Bits of remarkable sea glass, chunks of coral, rare tropical fish bones.

The journey to the trench was long, taking the better part of three days. Floating at the edge, they already felt the coldness seeping up from the trench. Pulling Minhyuk close he kissed his mate hard, pouring all his love into it. There was no going back now.

"You worry too much." Minhyuk broke from the kiss to press their foreheads together. Despite the light tone, Shownu heard the fear too. "Let's go."

The descent was slow, even with being sea folk the change of temperature and pressure affected them. In the darkness, they were just barely able to make out shapes moving. As their eyes began to adjust they could begin to make out small fish with glowing bodies, long inky black eels, sharks with pointed faces. All of the creatures seemed to be watching them curiously, though none made any move to approach.

Out in the wide stretch of blackness, a small light appeared. It bobbed to and fro in hypnotizing movements. Next to him Minhyuk started to move towards it but Shownu shot his arm out to catch him. They had been warned anything with lights down in the deep were predators and while they could out maneuver nearly everything above them this was not their territory. They were swimming blind.

“Hello.” The soft voice that sounded behind them made both Shownu and Minhyuk jolt. They would have swam away but thick tentacles wrapped themselves around their bodies holding them tight. “What brings you to the deep?” The voice asked gently. Suddenly a flash of light from seemingly within the skin illuminated the trench witch. Their skin shifted from grey to vibrant red to blue, much like the squid they were kin to. The large black eyes fixated on them but the mouth full of needle pointed teeth was curved into a smile.

“We wish to speak with Sunmi please.” Minhyuk lifted the net of items. The trench witch tilted their head thoughtfully. Unlike Sunmi, this witch had no hair, they were smooth headed and the wide-flapped gills fluttered with each exhale of breath.

“Sunmi does not take visitors.” The trench witch pulled them closer with tentacles that still held them fast. “But I will play with you.” The witch’s skin flared bright red again. “How about this, little merfolk. You swim and I hunt. If you make it to the bottom of the floor I won’t eat you.” The moment the tentacles released them the witch’s skin flared bright red one last time before going dark. Snatching Minhyuk’s wrist Shownu pulled him, trying not to focus on the swish of the water around them from the witch that was obviously toying with their food.

Keeping a tight grip on each other the two of them swam deeper, sometimes dodging both the witch and other predatory creatures. Now hopelessly lost, Shownu pulled his mate to him nearly resigned to death. They had been swimming so much that their energy stores were depleted and even if they wanted to go back Shownu wasn’t exactly sure which way was up. Everything was black, so much so that their eyes had become useless.

“You put up more of a fight than the last merfolk we saw.” The trench witch’s voice cooed from the darkness. The bulbous tip of a tentacle trailed down Shownu’s spine but he simply held onto his mate harder. “Have you made your peace?”

“Undala.” Shownu never thought he’d live long enough to actually be relieved to hear Sunmi’s voice. “Enough.” The bright blue glow suddenly blinded them after so much darkness.

“I found them first.” Undala turned a bright shade of red. Between their combined lights, Shownu could just barely see the sandy ocean floor. They had made it.

Sunmi moved to put herself between them and Undala, “The rules are if they make it to the floor they are to be left alone.” Shownu glanced down to where Minhyuk looked up at him realizing that they had made it. “You cannot break that or your own magic will shred you to pieces. Now be off.” Undala looked as if they were going to argue but took off in a flurry of movement faster than Shownu thought possible.

“Appreciate that.” Minhuyk’s voice was small.

Sunmi eyed them for a long time, the glow of her skin dimming to accommodate her own vision. “You must be desperate to come down here.” The large black eyes flickered to the net Minhyuk had barely managed to keep a grip on in their race downward. “What makes you brave the trench?”

“Kihyun.” Shownu hoped her sudden affection for the human would work in their favor.

Face twisting in annoyance, Sunmi arched an eyebrow. “He cannot be changed. Not even his land witches can help him change.” Shownu nearly wilted in relief that she seemed upset about that. It meant she wasn’t plotting any schemes with their mate.

“We want to be human.” Minhyuk finally peeled himself off of Shownu’s chest. “Can it be done?”

“You won’t be immortal.” Sunmi’s head titled, the black eyes making Shownu feel small under the gaze. “You will never be able to turn back.”

“We don’t care.” Shownu shook his head. They had already made peace with everything that would come with the change. “Life without Kihyun in it is not worth it.”

“And if he leaves you?” Sunmi’s voice was not unkind, even if the words were harsh. It was something that they had thought of too. After the last time Kihyun had disappeared on land they thought for sure he was never coming back. “What if your mate does not want you?”

“Then we will find a way to adapt. There are others in the town that would take us in.” Minhyuk spoke up. At least if they were on land they could watch him from afar, maybe even speak with him. That would be enough. “This is not something we’ve taken lightly. We’ve been weighing this decision for the last two years.” Sunmi’s eyes fluctuated again while she remained silent. “And if we can’t find a way we’re afraid Kihyun will try again.”

“It’s painful.” Sunmi looked down at their tails then back up. “I will need to cut your tails down the middle and providing you don’t bleed out going from siren to human is still hard.” A shiver ran down Shownu’s spine. “Once the process begins it cannot be stopped. You will change or die.”

Lifting the net, Minhyuk asked, “What do you want as payment. None of this seems sufficient.” Sunmi eyed the contents of the net critically.

“Survive and that will be payment enough.” Sunmi’s voice was small. Distantly, Shownu wondered how many had tried to turn only to die in the process. “I will need to gather things for the spell. I will also need at least one of the Kims. Preferably two.” Shownu nodded trying to swallow his fear and excitement. “I will lead you up to the top of the trench, you’ve drawn too much attention down here.”

The swim back up was slower than the descent. Sunmi explained that if they came up from the trench too fast the pressure change would kill them in a much worse way than being eaten by Undala. Gradually the water began to get lighter until they came to rest at the lip of the trench, the suddenness of light making the three of them hiss slightly in pain.

“Meet me in the cove on the full moon with whichever Kim is available.” Sunmi began her descent back down, taking the net full of items back with her. The full moon would be in a week and the trip back would take at least three days. They didn’t have time to waste.

***

Returning to the surface, the two of them shivered at the cold. The normal cold of the sea was being replaced quickly by the dropping temperatures of winter and already there was ice beginning to form at the water’s edge. Turning away from where their mate’s house stood illuminated in the distance, the two of them made their way to the only other people they trusted to keep their secret. 

Jooheon and Changkyun.

Approaching the dock, Shownu smiled a little as Changkyun was wrapped up in a big sweater but still pressed again Jooheon watching the waves. Since ‘marrying’ Jooheon, he had told them that the call of the sea wasn’t nearly as bad as it was before, that any time it got too loud he just had to put on his skin for a while and it would stop. Now their biggest problem was that the selkie clan wanted him back, the head of the pack kept demanding Changkyun’s return even if the younger refused. Sharing a quick look with Minhyuk the two of them approached the selkie and his husband.

“I was wondering if you were going to come visit before the ice.” Changkyun sat in the sand grinning widely. “Thought we missed you until spring.”

“We need a favor.” Shownu glanced up at Jooheon who had moved to sit in the sand. “Kihyun can’t know.” That made both Jooheon and Changkyun frown deeply. Keeping secrets was not in either of the two’s nature. “We need two of the Kims to help Sunmi with a spell.”

“The trench witch Sunmi?” Changkyun looked even more startled. “What did you do? You can’t work with them. The-”

“She’s going to make us human.” Minhyuk cut him off. Changkyun paled, being one of the sea folk, he knew the dangers of transformation. “Sunmi is not that bad.”

“She eats humans.” Changkyun dead panned, arms crossing over his chest. “How do we know she isn’t going to eat whichever Kim that comes?” Shownu couldn’t blame Changkyun for being protective. More than likely, it would be Yugyeom or his mother since the Kim matriarch had to retire from complicated spellwork.

“Sunmi tried to help Kihyun change.” Minhyuk added, trying not to sound bitter. “And when it almost killed him she saved him.” That made the two on land relax a bit. Shownu hoped it would be enough to convince them. “I swear on my life that if I think it’s a trap, I will get whoever comes to help back to land safely.” Shownu knew that was a big promise but if they died then it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Rolling his shoulders a bit at the biting cold Shownu pleaded again.“Sunmi is going to meet us at the cove on the full moon. Please, we need your help.” 

“I’ll go talk to Yugyeom tomorrow but I don’t promise anything.” Jooheon frowned looking at the three of them.

***

The full moon found Minhyuk, Shownu, Sunmi and to their great sadness both Yugyeom and his mother. Shownu had tried to ask for Yugyeom to be left out of this but the elder Kim reminded them that Yugyeom would one day be the head of the household and needed to know how to do this. The elder Kim had spent the last two days teaching Yugyeom the spell that would be required. Shownu hoped both of them would survive not only for Kihyun’s sake but for the sake of the hedgewitch who looked every bit the terrified child he was. Shownu wondered if Yugyeom had ever seen a blood ritual of this level, let alone watched anyone die. 

To their surprise Undala was there as well. Sunmi explained that she wouldn’t be able to do the spell back to back. The transformation spell simply took too much magic for even one as powerful as her. When Shownu asked about the payment to Undala he was cut off and told not to worry about it. The look in Sunmi’s eyes was fierce enough they all let it drop. Shownu hoped that it was not too steep a cost though. The trench witches were not known for kindness.

“On the beach. We don’t have time to waste.” Sunmi had already laid out the materials. On the beach were two areas set up so Sunmi and Undala could do their work. Two bowls sat, one full of water that had chunks of colorful coral. The second bowl was filled with a pale shimmering liquid and at the bottom what looked like bones. “This is going to be painful. Are you ready Yugyeom?” The hedgewitch nodded.

Shownu thought he had known pain. He had been in plenty of fights over food, bitten by jagged teethed fish, and once he had even been harpooned through the shoulder nearly a century ago. None of that however could even be considered in the realm of agony he was in now.

Yugyeom held his shoulders down muttering words in time with Sunmi as she dragged a bone handled dagger down his tail cutting it in half. Shownu could only scream while the magic raged like a typhoon in his body ripping him apart. He would do anything to get away from this pain.

“Don’t you die on me.” The sound of Kihyun’s voice cut through the pain. When had their mate gotten here? Had he been here and they simply had missed him? Shownu tried to think but the pain was blocking everything out. “Do you hear me Shownu? You’re not allowed to die on me.” There were tears in his voice. Prying his eyes open Shownu looked over into the deep brown eyes filled with tears.

“Ki-” Shownu’s words were cut off into a scream as Sunmi dumped the water holding the coral on his split tail.

“Wake up.” There was a smack to his face. This time it was Minhyuk’s voice though it was hoarse as if he had been screaming too. Considering they were going through the same ritual he probably had been. Shownu nearly cracked a smile to say that Minhyuk had always been the stronger of them, the most resilient. It was no surprise to him that Minhyuk not only survived the ritual but seemed to still have enough strength to be bossy.

The world tilted a bit when more liquid was dumped on his tail. The shimmery liquid made everything numb down to a dull ache. The chanting words around him filled the cave and his body pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

Distantly he heard Kihyun scream, “SHOWNU!”

Then there was darkness.

***

The sunlight hitting his face was the first thing that Shownu noticed when he finally woke up. The second thing was that he _hurt_. Everything hurt from his head to his fins.

Fins.

The memory of the ritual suddenly flared to life in his brain. Gingerly sitting up, Shownu marveled that he was in a human bed. Shooting a hand up to his neck he found that he no longer had gills sitting there. Ripping off the material covering him, Shownu felt a wave of conflicted emotions. Grief that his tail was gone but also delight that he had two human legs.

Most of two human legs.

Shownu frowned at them. One of the legs seemed to be missing below the knee while the other leg was formed perfectly.

“You’re such an asshole.” Shownu glazed up to see Kihyun wiping away tears with his hands. “Three days. You made us think you were dying for _three days_.” 

“Come here.” Holding out his arms Shownu waited for Kihyun to approach. When his mate finally came over the two of them held each other tightly. “Where is Min?”

 

“He’s out in the living room. Changkyun and Wonho are teaching him how to walk.” Kihyun pulled back and glanced down at his half formed leg. “Sunmi almost died. You were on the fence and she dumped in more magic. It was enough to save you but because she had to divert it from your legs to your heart you’ll need a prosthetic.”

“Where is Sunmi?” Shownu felt sick. Sure he was still upset with the trench witch but they had been cordial before all of this, she had saved them from Undala. Shownu wasn’t sure if he could forgive himself if she was dead.

“The scary squid witch took her back to the trench after Yugyeom’s mom gave her some herbs that seemed to make her feel better.” Shownu sighed in relief. Pulling Kihyun back down, he enjoyed being able to hold his mate without worrying his body was going to dry out or that his mate was going to get sick from being in the cold water too long. “I love you.”

“I love you too pretty Kihyun.”

Shownu knew there was going to be a large learning curve. They would need to learn not only how to walk but how their new bodies functioned along with how the people on land lived but that was okay. He and Minhyuk had survived the years living in the sea, they survived going into the trench, and even being stripped of their magic and tails. As long as they had each other and Kihyun they would make everything else work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi to us on Tumblr!  
> https://bang-channies.tumblr.com/
> 
> hey kids we got a twitter:  
> S - https://twitter.com/hardstansonly  
> K - https://twitter.com/BChannies

**Author's Note:**

> Say hi to us on Tumblr!  
> https://bang-channies.tumblr.com/
> 
> hey kids we got a twitter:  
> S - https://twitter.com/hardstansonly  
> K - https://twitter.com/BChannies


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